My Wish
by Doctor Rose Belikova
Summary: Sometimes when I lay in bed I whisper my name...My name is Rosemarie Analise Hathaway. But to the rest of the world, I'm Cici. AU/AH abuse/drugs/trafficking Rated M for a reason...a bit of a drabble. Title: My Wish by Rascal Flatts
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

Sometimes when I lay in bed I whisper my name.

_ Rose_

_ My _name, not the one _They _gave me.

_Rosemarie_

I whisper it so that I don't forget.

_Rosemarie Analise_

I whisper it so that I know who I am.

_Rosemarie Analise Hathaway_

My name is Rosemarie Analise Hathway.

But to the rest of the world, I'm Cici.

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><p><em>AN: idk where this story is going. It just popped in my head. Well, I have an idea of where it's going, but it's still in the developing stages. Review, or even PM with some ideas as to where I can take this story._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the amazing Richelle Mead does.

When I was 13 years old, I was kidnapped from my school.

No it wasn't through fault of my own; I wasn't skipping class. I wasn't not doing something I was supposed to. I was simply walking through the student parking lot, looking for my best friend's brother.

He had recently started driving to school and usually picked us up.

As I was looking for him, I was grabbed from behind, a hand pressing something, some kind of clothe, against my face. The last thing I remembered was being pulled into the back of a Jeep.

I woke up the next day locked in a room that had nothing but a mattress, somehow attached to the floor, and a thin blanket. There was absolutely nothing else.

_A/N: I'm thinking about make this a bit of a drabble story, but not at the same time. I'm a bit indecisive about the format. There are a couple ways I can write this, but we'll see how this way works out. I'm going to keep the chapters short, and I don't know how often I will update; whenever the inspiration hits, I guess, cause I'm more focused on my other story, Never Too Late. Check it out, if you haven't yet!_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the amazing Richelle Mead does.

I was kept in that room, with minimal food, and one bathroom break a day, for several weeks. I don't really know how many weeks it was. I know it was more than 3.

There was a nice lady who would look at me with sorrowful brown eyes every time she came in to feed me. She would always try to sneak me something good, like fresh cheese, or soft bread. Once, she even brought me a bowl of hot stew.

That was the last time I saw her. Someone found out she was nice to me.

I didn't know what happened to her then. I still don't know, but I can guess. I'm glad I don't know, because knowing would be worse. This way, I have delude myself into thinking she escaped.

After the several weeks, a man came to me. I don't remember his face. It's all a blur, that night.

He said he came to break me in. What I didn't know was how broken I would truly be afterward.

He told me to lay down on the mattress.

He told me to take off my clothes.

He told me it wouldn't hurt if I was good, as he took off his clothes.

He told me he wouldn't hurt me if I relaxed.

He lied.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

That night, anything resembling innocence was stolen from me.

He crawled onto me.

He touched my still-developing breast with his filthy hands.

He touched my most intimate part, the part no one had ever even seen.

He made me touch him, touch him in the place I'd never even thought about seeing.

He told me what to do, told me to move my hand up and down, up and down, until liquid came out.

Then he move it down, to my private parts.

I was an innocent 13 year old, one of those that are rare, that know nothing about sex.

I didn't like what he was doing. I didn't like him down there with his thing.

I moved. I closed my legs. His hand came down. _Smack! _It made me see stars.

He said I was a bad girl. So he hurt me.

He put it into my private part. He wasn't gentle. It felt like the fires of hell had burned through me. I cried. I screamed. He told me to shut up. He smacked me again.

He kept moving until he got his pleasure. He fondled me while he was in me. He ripped me open, made me bleed, made pain course through my body for days after.

I didn't know it then, but he wore a condom, so I didn't get pregnant. I learned that later, when I knew what they were.

When he was done with my lower parts, he moved his thing up, into my mouth.

I hurt so much, I obeyed.

I did everything he told me to.

He made me swallow, causing me to choke.

He made me turn around, stand like a dog.

He did this for several hours, different ways. Unimaginable ways. Unspeakable ways.

When he was done, I was bruise, bloody, broken.

He got dressed.

He looked at me.

"You did good. Keep up the good work, and maybe you'll survive."

He left. I don't think I ever saw him again.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

I was in pain for days. I didn't want to move. I lay in bed, or actually on the mattress, for days. No one came to check up on me.

After a week, a woman came in. She washed me, and dressed me in clean clothing. It was a short red dress, the top a corset, pulled tight, the skirt barely covering my ass.

She curled my hair, and put make up on me for the first time ever.

She had cleaned up my wounds, making sure they weren't infected.

After she was done dressing me and making me pretty, she took me to a room. There were several other girls there.

We all stood in a line, as men walked around us, checking us out, talking amongst themselves.

I felt like we were cattle, lined up for the slaughter house.

I wasn't very far from the truth.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

A girl stood next to me. She looked much younger than me, but must have been older.

She had blonde curls, and blue eyes that were wide with fear. She was several inches shorter than me.

Later, I found out her name was Mia.

We worked together.

The men walked around, watching us, placing bets on us, labeling us. A man with black hair and green eyes, eyes that reminded me of a snake, observed me. He touched my hair, tilted my head up by my chin.

"This one," he said, looking at someone out of my eyesight. "I want this one."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

That was how Victor Dashkov bought me.

Like a dog, or cat, or any other animal you can think of.

And I was treated little better than one too.

He brought me home, along with another girl, although I never really saw her. Last I heard of her, she got pregnant, and some disease, then overdosed, and not exactly in that order.

He showed me his estate, a grand one, with many hallways, and doors. By the time he showed me my room, I was almost passed out from hunger and tiredness.

My room had an actual bed, with a blanket and pillows. One door opened to a closet filled with clothes, and shoes, and other things. The other opened to a bathroom with a large blue bathtub, and a toilet; they were separated by a small wall that jutted out.

My relief and small joy at having a room wouldn't last long.

In fact, I would come to hate that room, and what it meant.

What happened in that room.

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><p><em>AN: I just want to thank everyone who's read my story, and everyone who reviewed. Your thoughts are very welcome, and help keep my story going. Congrats to kyoko minion for guessing the buyer right; it was indeed Victor (: for those of you reading my story Never Too Late, I promise you an update, if not tonight, tomorrow by the latest. Thank you once again for reading my story. _


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

A week after I came into that house, a week of pampering, relaxation, and gaining back my healthy weight, my own personal Hell began.

It started with a woman coming in, and fitting me into a very revealing dress, a dress that clung to every inch of my skin, leaving little to the imagination. She, once again, did my make up, but left my dark brown hair down in soft waves.

I was nervous; the last time this happened, I was sold.

She took me out to the living room.

Mr. Dashkov was there, along with another man. They looked up when we walked into the room.

"There she is!" Mr. Dashkov exclaimed, looking cruelly happy. The man silently looked me over.

"This is her first time, so be careful, Nathan," Mr. Dashkov warned the man, Nathan.

Nathan nodded. "Is she broken in?" he asked.

Mr. Dashkov nodded. "Yes."

I shuddered, remembering being broken in. Like horse.

Nathan walked over to me. "Where is you room, my beauty?"

I didn't want to show him. It was my safe haven.

I looked at Mr. Dashkov. He nodded. "You be a good girl now, and show Mr. Ivashkov a good time." He smirked. "You listen to everything he tells you to, or there _will _be consequences." His tone held a warning: don't disobey.

I swallowed, and led Mr. Ivashkov to my room.

Once there, he looked around. "Hm. Nice. Very nice." He nodded approvingly.

He turned to me and smiled like a predator. He stalked towards me. "Well? Are you going to show me a good time, or am I going to have to teach you a lesson?" Something in his voice told me he very muchly wanted to teach me a lesson.

I simply shook my head. "What would you like me to do?" I asked, my voice small.

Mr. Ivashkov simply grinned. "Come here, little girl." He gestured for me to come in front of him.

I listened. Once I was there, he put his hands on my shoulders, and pushed, forcing me down on my knees in front of him.

"Good girl." he murmured. "Now, unzip my pants, and _rub," _ he commanded.

I swallowed, fearful. I did as told, my face screwing up in disgust as he grunted with pleasure.

One of his hands went to his pants, and took them off, so my hand was now rubbing on bare skin.

"Open your mouth." he commanded, a hard edge to his tone which said he would hurt me if I didn't do it.

I swallowed again, and opened my mouth. He shoved his penis into my mouth.

_"Now suck."_

I felt tears pouring down my face as he shoved his penis into my mouth repeatedly, to the point where I choked. He pulled my hair, forcing my mouth to go up and down.

_"Do something," _he snarled, yanking hard on my hair, hard enough to tear some out.

I cried out in pain, then tried to do something, anything. I had no idea what I was doing.

He kept doing it until he hit his high, his liquid shooting out.

_"Swallow"_

I did as told, the tears coming faster.

He made me stand up, then ripped my dress. He pushed me onto the bed, taking his shirt off as he went.

He put on a condom.

He crawled up the bed.

He crawled up me.

He spread my legs.

He shoved his penis into me, moving, moving, in, out, in out, roughly, making me bleed.

Making me cry out in pain.

Until it was over.

He stood up.

"Good girl. You'll go far with proper training."

And there began my life of a sex slave.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

A couple weeks passed by in the same manor.

Then I got my period.

I was always cranky on my period, and didn't want to be touched. So I told the lady, who's name I still didn't know, that I had my period.

She looked at me with pity, then left without a word.

Later that night, a man came in.

He had a cruel look on his face, more so than most.

"So you're a bleeder, huh?" his accent was odd. "I like bleeders."

His smiled was disgusting.

"No! I refuse to!" I snarled, my attitude making a sudden comeback. I fought him off, until he left.

A few minutes later, Victor came in.

He had a scary look in his eye, and suddenly, I wasn't so bold.

"You dare refuse?" his voice was an intense whisper. I shuddered, fearful.

"I'll teach you to disobey!"

He brought his arm forward, a belt clutched in his hand.

_Smack!_

"What have I told you about listening!"

_Smack!_

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU!"

_Smack!Smack!Smack!_

"ANSWER ME!"

_Smack, smack, smack, sma – _

"Aahh! STOP!" I jumped away. Wrong move.

He came toward me. I backed away, til I hit a wall.

"I'll break you yet."

He grabbed me by my hair. He dragged me forward, kicking and screaming, and through me on the bed.

He brought out a whip as he torn off my clothing.

He whipped me till I was bleeding.

Then he raped me.

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><p><em>AN: thank you to all my lovely reviewers! you help keep my story going! thank you for your lovely ideas especially, rivereq, you've really helped me (:_


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

That was the last time I had the guts to majorly disobey.

If I didn't learn quickly enough, or learn right, I was once again punished, in different ways.

I used to pray and hope that someday, someone would save me.

That was two years ago, when I was 13.

At 15, death would be a mercy.

But Victor would make even death painful.

He had me work at one of his clubs. I had a great body for a 15 year old, and a lot of his "customers" took a "liking" to me.

I was used to "seal" a deal at times.

When I didn't have someone who wanted to fuck me for money, or whatever else they were giving Victor, I danced.

Any money I may have gotten, Victor took.

I had nothing, no way to escape.

Victor had spies every where.

But he wasn't the only one in the business.

Sergei Zeklos was too, and they were friends.

One of Zeklos's girls would often dance with me, and be in the next room over, whenever the two got together, which was often.

Mia Rinaldi was in a similar position: she was kidnapped and sold.

Except she was a year younger. I remembered her from the day I was sold; she had looked like she was 7.

I was glad she wasn't.

We became friends over time, two pieces of driftwood in a rolling, boiling, angry sea, where there was no land, no safe place.

Often, we would lend the other a shoulder to cry on when things became too hard.

Mia was also the first one to show me an escape; first it was alcohol.

Then it was weed.

Then it was E, for those extremely hard times.

She was on glass.

I tried to avoid; I didn't want to be addicted. Even after all those years, I still had hope.

It makes me laugh.

There were times I was on acid.

There was no escape from this Hell.

_A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed with constructive criticism. Sorry about faking that chapter on you, :P it just kind of annoyed me seeing that review; if you can't read the summery, don't bother to complain about the story. Anyway, thank you all for reading, enjoy! (: _


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

* * *

><p>Years passed.<p>

I should have graduated high school.

I should have been going to college this year.

But no, I was a prostitute at Victor's bar, keeping the customers going to hide his other deals.

Any more, I don't really remember what life was like before.

Before I was kidnapped.

Before I was raped.

Before I was beaten into submission.

Before I had to sell my body, without my permission, just to live.

Dying wasn't an option. I tried once. One of Victor's men, Spirdon, found me before I could bleed out. It didn't end well.

I tried to OD once. I never had the money to buy enough drugs.

Drowning didn't work either. I was put on suicide watch, Victor style.

In other words, every one of my moves were video taped at the house, a guard with me whenever it seemed like I was alone.

I tried to disobey, to get him to kill me.

He stopped before my heart did. All I got was a lot of pain.

I tried until I turned 17.

then I realized that there was no escape. I had no idea who my father was. My mother never found me. And my best friend, the friend I barely remembered...I didn't know. She could have died. She could have been one of my co-workers. I would never know.

The only positive thing in all of this was Mia. And even she was like a slightly lighter gray spot amongst the blackest black.

Mia was now my best friend. I didn't know what to do without her. In this world, there was no such thing as rape; only stealing. If you didn't pay, you stole, no matter what truly happened. It happened to Mia a lot. I helped her.

Luckily, I knew how to fight. One of the guards once took a liking to me, and taught me in exchange for free nights of entertainment. It was worth knowing how to defend myself.

He died.

I knew this was going to be my life until I was so wasted that I was no use any more. By then, I would be all used up and hopelessly addicted, left in the streets. I knew. I saw it at least once a month.

I knew this was how I would live, without an end, that is, until one night.

One night that changed it all.

I night where my prince charming came.

But this was no fairy tale.

There was no fairy godmother.

There was no gallant prince taking me away into the sunset.

There was no happily ever after.

Because how can there be a happily ever after if the princess was too far gone in hell to ever come out alive?

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm so so so so so so so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth! I promise you a chapter tomorrow. I've been kinda busy with things. Many people wanted to see Dimitri, so I shall give you Dimitri. Just don't expect a happy ever after immediately. It's going to take a while, but you will see Dimitri next chapter. I'm not positively sure how he's going to meet her as of yet. Any ideas? How bout a DPOV?_


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy.

DPOV:

I walked down the street on forced leave. My charge, Vasilisa Dragomir, literally forced me to leave at least once every two weeks.

I didn't want to leave my charge alone, since the last time I did that, he died.

But for the first time in a full year, I was glad that I was on leave.

As I walked down the sidewalk, feeling the need to take care of some needs that had made themselves known in the past few days, I came across an alleyway.

There was a man holding a girl by her hair, and speaking in a harsh voice.

I couldn't hear the words correctly, since it was too far away, and he was speaking too fast. But I could tell whatever it was wasn't well wishes. The hand yanking on the girl's hair said as much.

The sight struck a cord deep within me, the one that controlled the need to keep defenseless people safe.

Quickly, I turned down the alley, coming up behind the man.

"That is no way to treat a woman."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy.

RPOV:

Jesse Zeklos, one of Victor's more frequent customers, gripped my hair in the alleyway behind the club.

"Now you listen to me, you little whore. Listen to me good. You _will _do what I say. You _will not _charge me. I get to have fun, I get to keep my money. End of discussion." he said harshly.

"That is no way to treat a woman," a voice behind him said.

Both of us jumped, causing him to let go of my hair, and me to stumble, trying to regain my footing.

We looked up to see a giant.

The man was gorgeous. He had longish hair which I could see in the dim light was tied in the back. He was really tall, and of what I could see of his face, he had a strong jaw, a perfect nose, and dark eyes, his lips looking alluringly soft.

For the first time in my life, I was struck dumb by a man simply by his looks and noble actions, as opposed to simply struck.

Jesse recovered quickly. "Who the fuck do you think you are? It's not any of your business. Go elsewhere," he snarled.

I glared at Zeklos. "Fuck off, you asshole. I'm not your business either. Go to hell," I retorted.

Jesse smirked. "And what would Victor say?" he asked tauntingly.

My stomach tightened at the thought of Victor taking disciplinary actions, but I knew he would agree with me this one time. He didn't like it when people pawed at his little jewel. Fucked, sure, why not? But threatening was only reserved for him, and on occasion Sergei.

I smirked right back. "He'd chop your dick off and feed it to you, so you couldn't touch me again."

Jesse's eyes blazed. "You fucking little bitch!" He lunged for me. I threw my arms up to block his moved, but it proved unnecessary.

The giant man grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and swung him away.

"You do not hit a woman," the man snarled, standing in front of me protectively.

I was touched, but I knew if this went on any longer, this good man would probably be on Jesse's hit list, if he wasn't there already.

Jesse stood up, smoothing down his clothes. "This isn't over, whore," he said, pointing at me before he walked away. Guess he saw it would do no good for him to get in a fight with someone so much stronger than him.

The man turned to me once Jesse was out of sight.

He lent to my level.

Beautiful dark brown eyes probed mine.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a faint Russian accent caressing his words.

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry, and nodded.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Is there anywhere I can take you, so I know you're safe?" he asked, still looking at me anxiously.

I watched him wearily. Was he trying to get something out of me? If so, what? He didn't seem like the type to do anything, although they never do. Would he try to rape me? In that case, whatever, I'd probably enjoy it. He was hot.

Maybe he would kill me? Now, wouldn't that be a blessing!

No, I decided. He wasn't going to do anything to hurt me, I could see that in his eyes.

"Do you have some place to go?" he asked again.

Slowly, I shook my head. In all honesty, I did, but I didn't want him to know where I lived, nor did I want people at the house to know of him.

Something told me to protect him. So I did.

"No, I don't. I was going to crash with a friend cause my parents kicked me out last week, but she left on a family emergency." I told him, the lie coming effortlessly to my lips. It wouldn't be the first time I lied.

He nodded in understanding. "Then would you mind going to my apartment? That cut on your cheek looks pretty nasty."

I hadn't even realized I had a cut on my cheek until this moment. Huh. Oh well.

I raised my eyebrows. "You got first aid?"

He cracked a small smile at that. It was a definite improvement to his face. "Yeah. At my place."

I smiled a small smile back at him. "Okay, let's go then."

He cocked his head questioningly. "Do you need to grab anything?"

I shook my head. I never did.

He nodded. "Okay, then, lets go."

He lead me to his car. "By the way, I'm Dimitri."

"Ci – erm, Rose," I replied, stumbling over my name. I didn't want to give him my stage name, the one that everyone else knew me by. I wanted him to have my real name, so he could never find me again.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

We made it to his apartment in a comfortable silence. When we got there, he cleaned me up carefully.

He looked so beautiful, calmly concentrating on cleaning off the scrapes made when Jesse threw me on the ground.

He touched my skin gently, carefully, like I would break.

He didn't stare, he didn't oggle, he didn't try to do anything.

He was the sweetest guy I had ever met.

It gave me hope.

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><p><em>AN: I'm so so so so so sorry for dying on you! I promise more chapters by the end of the day!_


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

* * *

><p>RPOV:<p>

Once he finished cleaning my wounds, he made me the first homemade dinner I have had in 6 years.

Yes, I've had dinners made by the staff workers, but I wasn't at home.

Afterward, he let me sleep in his bed, while he took the couch. Despite me arguing otherwise, he wouldn't let me take the couch, saying it was rude of him to be comfortable while his lady guest slept on the uncomfortable couch.

I almost laughed in his face when he called me a lady.

I wasn't a lady.

I was a tramp.

I was a whore.

I was a slut.

I was a prostitute.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

I woke up abruptly around 4 am. I looked around, confused as to where I was for the moment. Then I remembered.

Jesse.

Dimitri.

Getting cleaned up.

Dinner.

Sleeping arrangements.

And now, his bedroom.

I sighed as I got up. This was the safest place I have been in since I was 13.

This was the first time I have escaped and felt safe.

The last time I tried...

The warehouse was a horrible choice.

Almost as horrible as the punishment for escaping was.

I silently walked through the house, changing from the shirt that he gave me into my clothes, then put on my shoes and left.

I didn't pay any attention to where I was, just going random directions until I was utterly lost. Then I looked up, figured out where I was, and headed to my prison.

He would never find out where Dimitri lived.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I woke up the next morning and went to my bedroom to check up on Rose. The bed was empty except for a piece of paper laying in the middle of the soft black comforter.

_Thank you._

I sighed, a smiling playing on my lips. Her disappearance only fueled my determination to find her again.

_ Rose. Roza. Beautiful, beautiful Roza. _


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

I sighed as I made my way into the house. I walked down the hallway hoping he wouldn't say anything.

"And where were you?" A voice in the shadows of the living room said.

I stopped, sighing again. _Of course! Of course I wasn't that lucky. _

I turned halfway to where he was sitting in the armchair, his face hidden by darkness.

"A private show," I said evenly.

Victor got up slowly, making his way leisurely towards me.

"I don't recall booking you," he said casually.

I swallowed, hiding my fear by standing very still as he walked around me. "It was a spur of the moment thing," I said, mimicking his tone.

"Really? And where is the money?"

I carefully tensed my muscles so that I wouldn't start shaking.

"In my pocket," I replied, working to keep my voice even. I was glad I still had money in my pocket from when Jesse had yanked me out of the club.

"Oh, really? That's odd. Mr. Zeklos said that you went home with a gentleman – that didn't ask for service. Tell me, Cici, where does this gentleman live? Who is he?"

I swallowed nervously, blinking slowly. He was still circling me like a hunter deciding where and when to attack his prey.

"I don't know," I answered. "I don't ask names, you know that, and I couldn't care less where he lived. I actually got lost going back."

Victor stopped in front of me, looking down into my eyes to make sure I wasn't lying. Thank God I got lost.

His eyes flashed as his hand came whipping out across my cheek with enough force to knock me over. My locked muscles were no help as I fell down.

"Next time get his name if you're gonna do a private showing. And _don't _do another private showing unless you're booked," he said in a dangerous voice. "Now get cleaned up and to bed. You have the morning shift."

And he walked away.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I was just about to start my search for the elusive Rose when my phone rang. While I was a body guard for Miss Dragomir, I also had a 'side business'; my father had an extensive network of people that were great hackers, higher ups in all the good companies, and others of similar profession. He wasn't a mobster by any definition. He was more like the the mobster's geek who provided them with information they needed. My 'side business' was being a PI, off the books. I helped find people missing; I was always good at it, ever since I was 15 when I found my kidnapped sister.

I had a feeling that I had to find someone the moment my phone rang. Even as I answered it, I had plans to say no, I was busy guarding, but the voice on the other end stopped me.

"I need you to find my daughter, Rosemarie Hathaway-Mazur."


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I looked carefully through my notes. So Abe Mazur had lost his daughter when she was 13, six years ago. She was kidnapped after school, and seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

Rose also appeared to be nonexistent, which made me think she either gave me a fake name, or she was hiding. _Or, _Rosemarie Hathaway-Mazur and Rose were one and the same person.

Judging by Rosemarie's 13 year old picture, and my mental image of Rose, they _were _the same person.

The question now was: _Where _was Rose? She didn't show up in any of the systems; it was like she just didn't exist. My mind flashed back to something she had said when I asked her her name-or _hadn't _said.

_ "By the way, I'm Dimitri." I told her._

_ "Ci – erm, Rose," she replied, stumbling over her name._

I needed to know why she had stumbled over her name, and why her name sounded almost odd coming out of her mouth. Not like she was lying, but like she wasn't used to saying it out loud.

I pondered that for a few minutes. Rose was clearly her real name. Which meant that the 'Ci' she started to say was an alias, since she clearly wasn't going to trust a random stranger with something she is well known by. But what was she hiding?

I sighed. Could she have made it even more difficult?

After spending a few more hours pouring over the meager information I had, I decided to take a trip to visit other people who knew almost as much as I did.

Time to visit the bosses.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

I sighed as I made my way through the bar. My face hurt where Victor had hit me, but that didn't matter. I was up, bright and early and in my uniform like a good little girl. I sighed again as _another __dog_ touched my ass. Do these men have no boundaries?

From the corner of my eye, I saw Victor talking to someone. I turned to see Dimitri, the man who had helped me last night.

I felt my blood run cold. _No, no, no! he can't be here! Victor will kill him if he finds out I was with him last night!_

Dimitri said something to Victor, which made him stiffen slightly. It wasn't noticable at all, only if you had known him for a long time. Which I did. He looked the way he did when he was angry, and a punishment would soon be dealt. He stayed talking, but after a few minutes, he casually twisted around somehow so that Dimitri's back was to me, and Victor was facing me. He looked me right in the eyes with a looked that chilled me right to the bones.

_He knows. _


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I made my way to the club where I had met Rose. I had figured that she was either visiting the club, or was on her way home when the sleaze stopped her. I needed to talk to Victor, the owner, about her, if he knew anything, or if he had seen anything.

I made my way through the club to where Victor stood, observing the place.

"Hey Victor," I said, casually leaning against the bar next to him.

"Belikov," he gave me a nodded of acknowledgment, turning to me.

"I was given a new job," I said conversationally.

"Really?" Victor answered, equally casual.

"Mmhmm. I gotta find a girl. I know who she is, I just don't know _where _she is."

"Well, surely, with all of your connections and equipment, you can find her," he replied, sounding slightly surprised.

"Mm, that's the thing. She's been missing for six years, has been searched for, for all of them, and doesn't exists, as far as any computer, or even person I've talked, is concerned."

"That's tricky indeed."

I nodded.

"So, why are you here?" He asked.

I hesitated. "Well, that's the thing. I know _who _she is. I saw her last night; actually, I saved her last night. But then she vanished on me," I told him.

"So, once again, _how _does this involve me?"

I sighed. "I found her in the alleyway behind your club. She might have been a customer, or just a wrong time, wrong place thing."

Victor looked at me carefully. "Who was it?"

I shrugged, suddenly getting a bad feeling. "Rose," I said slowly.

Something about him changed; I just wasn't sure what. Maybe it was my primal instincts that told me something was different; I don't know. All I knew was that he was dangerous.

"I don't know any Rose." he said.

Suddenly, I realized that we had shifted positions. I know stood with my back to the club, while he was facing it. For a second, he stared over my shoulder at someone, but just as I was about to turn and look, his attention snapped back to me. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a stripper came over.

She had raven black hair, and was tall with a thin, but gorgeous body. She had ice blue eyes which were glazed over with whatever she had taken.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yes Tasha?"

"Victor, Cici is late for a private show; I have no idea where she is. Do you want me to take her spot? I doubt he would mind," Tasha said.

Victor pondered for a moment. "Who?"

"Thomas," was the answer.

Victor immediately shook his head. "No, Cici is a personal favorite. Plus, I believe she is on the special list, yeah?"

Tasha thought about it for a moment. "No, I think she's scheduled for two days from now."

Victor nodded. "Alright. I believe she is in the bathroom. Tell her I said to take care of my guest – and get his name this time. She'll understand."

Tasha nodded, then left.

Victor turned back to me. "Sorry about that. Cici is always trouble, but she is worth it," he chuckled darkly. "The most wanted; my most precious gem in a collection of diamonds." he smiled sickly.

I felt my stomach churn. "I believe that I should be going; you seem very busy."

Victor nodded. "So long, old friend." He walked away, whistling.

I walked through the club to the exit. As I reached the door, I heard a voice call out, "Cici! Get over here!"

Instinctively, I looked back, and was met with a pair of brown eyes. _Rose!_

"Cici!" Rose's head jerked over to the voice. At first I was confused, but as she looked in my eyes again, then turned to go towards the girl, the reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

Cici was Rose.

_Rose was Cici! _


	23. Chapter 23

RPOV:  
>I met his eyes from across the room, trying to send the message to run, run away, forget about me.<br>I could see the shock in his eyes, and on his face, when he realized who I was.  
>I wondered why he was here in the first place. Surely, he wasn't doing business with Victor?<br>I turned away, pushing through the crowds to get to the rooms before Tasha could nag me again. Damn her for calling my name.

Sighing, I opened the door to room 4. 'My' room, at the moment.

Inside, a man was laying on the bed, a leering smile on his face.

I put my mask of blank obedience on; the customers didn't like whore that thought.

"Hey, baby," I purred, sashaying over to where he lay. "What would you like today?" I grimaced on the inside; Thomas was a reg, and I hated him with a dire passion.

He smirked. "You can begin by taking of that robe," he sneered.

I took off the black, sheer lace robe that I had on over my stripper out fit. It fell down my shoulders gracefully before settling down on the floor. Underneath, I wore underwear which doubled as my shorts, and a tiny belly tank top with a built in bra. _(outfit: http:/www(.)lingeriespecialists(.)com/images_products/sheer_mesh_robe_stm_5067r_3910lar(.)jpg just remove the parentheses; it's also on my Facebooke page, RozaXDimkaBelikovForever-fanfiction)_

Thomas's eyes lit up with lust, and I knew he liked the sight.

I turned briefly, as if I was giving him a back view, and casually slipped the E I had in my hand into my mouth, dry swallowing it. I knew I needed the extra boost to get through this.

I cat-walked my way to the side of the bed, then carefully stepped onto it, standing over him.

I felt the E working. Suddenly, I was very eager for this to get on.

"What do you want, sugar?" I purred, my face lighting up with anticipation.

"Dance for me, Baby-doll," he whispered lustfully.

I stood with a leg on each side of his body, swaying. I began moving my hips more prominently, shaking my ass. I bent over, giving him a good view of my large breasts. I could see him start to get aroused majorly, so I started to amp the ante.

Slowly, I took off my tiny, sheer tank top, throwing it across the room, then slowly went down until I was straddling him. At that point, he was fully hard.

I started to grind on him, enjoying the sensation. Some distant part of me, the part that wasn't completely high on E, was utterly disgusted by this. Lately, that part of me was getting stringer and stronger. So I took stronger drugs.

I pulled off his shirt, and his pants followed shortly. By this point, we were making out like there was no tomorrow. His mouth tasted disgusting, but I was too lost in my lust-and-drug hazed mind to focus on anything but the two of us grinding.

My underwear was torn off, and then his boxers.

I was on the bottom by this point.

"Condom!" I gasped out, holding on to the last shreds of sanity.

Vaguely, I registered him putting a condom on, before he entered me.

* * *

><p><em>AN: So sorry for dying on you! Hope you liked this chappie, kinda let's you in on what happens behind closed doors...Did anybody get my movie reference? Thank you all for your reviews! Next chapter will hopefully be up soon! Xoxoxoxoxoxo_

_-Tatiana :)_


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I drummed my fingers nervously on the diner tabletop. Checking my watch for the umpteenth time, I glanced at the door. _He was late. _

Just then, it opened, and a striking man walked in, followed by two others.

He glanced around the diner quickly, before making his way to where I was sitting.

"You're late," I said evenly, barely looking at him.

He shrugged. "Got held up. My apologies." He got situated comfortably in the booth before looking into my eyes. "What did you learn?"

I swallowed, looking away. In this world, there were various jobs. Some dealt in weapons, some dealt in drugs. Some ran hotels for cover-ups, some ran clubs. Victor dealt in whores and drugs. He sold the whores, and bought/traded the drugs; his clubs were simply a means of acquirement. No man or woman who were 'employed' by him came out alive. His was the dirtiest, most disgusting area of service. And yet many men, and women, enter that club, and bought a prostitute, or traded drugs for one. No father wanted his child caught up in it. Become a mob boss, sure. Become a part of Victor's world? A human's worst nightmare.

And Rose, sweet, beautiful Rose, was in the middle of it.

I finally looked back. "I think – I think I found her. But it appears as if the situation is a bit more complicated than we first thought."

Abe raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

I hesitated. "Well...First, does she even know you're looking?" I asked the question that had been burning in my mind ever since he called me.

It was Abe's turn to look away."Actually...she doesn't even know I exist. Her mother didn't want her to be caught up in this world." He laughed humorously. "The bitter irony is, if Janine had only let me be in Rose's life, Rose would still be safe, and not lost. No one would dare kidnap my daughter. Yes, she would be in slight danger, but I would be able to keep her safe. She wouldn't be lost. Less innocent, yes. But still in my arms."

I watched as one of the most feared men in history fought off tears for his lost daughter, suddenly wishing I didn't have to tell him what I knew.

After he composed himself, he looked back at me. "Where is she?" he asked flatly.

I swallowed once more. "I believe...Victor has her."

The only thought in my mind at that moment was:

_ Thank God I'm not Victor._

* * *

><p><em>AN: So...I wish I could put into words how very, very, VERY, sorry I am. My laptop broke, then it was taken away, and I just recently got it back. I didn't really know what to write, and now I have finals. Next week, I promise you better updates; this week I have three finals on Thursday, one tomorrow (Tuesday) and one Friday. Yeah, no fun. But I swear, next week you will get more chapters! And for readers of Never Too Late: I have a chapter I'm typing up; it's kinda long, but I'm almost done, so expect an update soon. Hopefully, sometime this week. So, so, so sorry, once again. Thanks for the reviews!_

_ -Love,_

_ Tatiana _


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

"_What." _

It wasn't a question. Suddenly, I was afraid for my life.

I tried to keep calm. "I am almost absolutely positive that she is one of Victor's...girls, under the name of Cici." I held my breath, waiting for the blow up.

Instead, what I received was a deathly calm, which terrified me more than the blow-up would have.

Abe leaned back in his seat, stroking his goatee thoughtfully, his dark brown eyes flashing dangerously.

"Is that so?" he asked almost lazily.

I merely nodded.

He sat up abruptly, so abruptly that I jumped slightly.

"Well," he said, clapping his hands together. His body guards stood up. "You best make sure as hell that's her. I don't want World War III on my hands."

And then he stalked out.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, not at all what you guys were expecting, huh? Oh, and I forgot to mention it in the last chapter, but I guess no one got my movie reference? I'm sad :( But oh, well. Thank y'all for your reviews! I know I said no update until next week, but I don't think anyone is complaining, right? And anyway, who needs to do finals, right? XD anyways...thanks for the reviews, hope you like the chapter, and I'll do my best to update soon._

_ Love,_

_ Tatiana :)_


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

When my day was finally over, I was terrified. I had no idea what Victor would do. Nervously, I walked into the house – and was immediately grabbed by my hair, and thrown on the hard wood floor in front of him.

"A customer!" Victor yelled. "Is that what being 'rescued' means these days?" His voice was full of sarcasm at the word 'rescued.'

"Fucking whore! Fucking filthy, lying whore!" _Slap! _"If you weren't so damn useful and bringing me so much money, I would've fucking killed you long ago. Do I have to put you on suicide watch again?"

I paled at that, and started shaking.

Oh God no. Not suicide watch.

I remembered when I was on suicide watch.

My 'body guard,' who was supposed to protect me, was allowed to do anything sexual that he wanted to me, anywhere, and at anytime.

They were the worst three months of my life.

It taught me a better lesson than all of Victor's hits put together did.

It also taught me to never trust a man, especially if he was a body guard.

I started shaking my head no frantically.

"Oh, so you don't want suicide watch? Better listen to what you're told." _Kick! _"I ever catch you leaving this place and you'll _wish _for suicide watch." He grabbed my hair and pulled me up close to his face. "I swear to you, you will die the most horrible, painful, and shameful death the minute you're no longer useful." He let me go and I dropped like a ton of bricks, bruising my side even more. "I was going to let you have a respectful death, you know. But you never learn, do you? And now I will make sure you have the most disrespectful death known to any whore." He turned to the other girls, who had been watching the while scene. "Let this be a lesson to you all. Any of you I catch talking, communicating in any way, or giving something to this," he pointed to me with a sneer, "will be out on the streets."

A slightly worse fate than being cooped up in here for the rest of our lives.

At least here, we have food, shelter, and some form of income.

At least here we wouldn't be gang raped or made pregnant.

At least here, we had some kind of home.

* * *

><p><em>AN: There you have it. Sorry you didn't get this sooner. My account was locked for some reason. So Rose got punished for being with Dimitri. And she doesn't trust any man, least of all a body guard. Huh. Well, that makes things slightly difficult, now doesn't it? Hehe. Where's Dimitri? you say. Don't worry, he'll get his moment next chapter (: Speaking of..._

_** New story: **__I, along with author ChelseaJayBaybeh, am writing a story! This is our first collab, and it WILL be a 'characters reading the series.' NOW WAIT! BEFORE YOU STOP READING THIS, LET ME EXPLAIN! Our story WILL have a plot! I swear to you! the story will be posted on __ChelseaJayBaybeh__'s account, but I will be post when it gets updated! So if you like my stories, you will DEFINITELY like this!_

_** Readers of Until the End/This World We Live In: **__Expect an update within the next week. I know, long time, but I have a chapter for both of the stories planned out, and both the chapters started._

_Thank you all who participated in the Ban/signed the petition. It means a lot to all of us authors on Fanfiction. If you haven't had the chance to sign the petition but want to, here's the link: www . change petitions / fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net_

_just remove the spaces._

_Oh, and, one more thing: I changed my pen name(: I could be in the book now and I wouldn't have to change my name! (first one anyway) I'm like the unknown fourth sister :D Anyway, thank you all for reading my story and bearing with me :)_


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

Figuring out for sure if Cici was indeed Rose was going to take a lot of careful thought.

I decided to leave Victor alone for several weeks.

In the meantime, I went back to guarding Lissa.

It was, of course, a cover-up – I had already found my replacement. I was only there for show.

I stayed away from Victor and let word spread that I was resting the case in favor of guarding Lissa – and that someone else had taken it.

After approximately a month and a half, when I was sure Victor wouldn't find me being there suspicious, I paid his club a visit, hoping to God she hadn't been moved.

I strolled up to where Victor stood by the bar, a notorious place to 'sign out' a girl, watching the club. He looked up at me with surprise.

"Belikov, surprised to see you here. Not your usual scene," he commented lightly.

I nodded casually, leaning against the bar next to him. "Yeah, but I need some...entertainment and I'm feeling too lazy and tired to looking for something that will turn out insufficient," I replied, let my eye drift lazily around the club. It was instinct borne of many years of guarding and searching.

"Mmm," Victor murmured. "Job keeping you bust?" He looked at me shrewdly.

I breathed in.

This was the moment.

The moment that would make me or break me.

No, really.

Either he believed me, or I would end up a pile of broken bones in a ditch somewhere for lying.

It truly was a dog eat dog world, I thought wryly.

"Yes," I said, allowing my eyes to meet his. "Guarding the daughter of a multi-billion dollar man whom many would love to see dead is quite tiresome. I was going to take on that one PI job, but after reviewing the case after I talked to you, I realized the girl was probably lying dead in a gutter somewhere. Someone else can find her body," I let a shudder show. "I would really rather not face Abe's wrath."

Victor nodded in understanding. "It's a shame, really. I didn't even know he had a daughter."

He was lying.

There was a gleam of satisfaction in his eye.

He was practically gloating.

He knew _exactly _who Rose was.

He intentionally found her.

There was more to this than meets the eye.

"Yeah, neither did I. But enough about that," I said, letting impatience color my voice. "On to the entertainment."

A cruel smile spread across Victor's lips.

He was up to something. It was confirmed by his next words.

"What would you like tonight? How about my best girl?" He asked.

I looked at him carefully. "Does she have long dark hair and a good body? I'm a sucker for long dark hair," I explained.

_Please say yes. Please be Rose. _I prayed silently.

His smile widened. "Then she'll be perfect." He snapped his fingers.

Almost immediately, a girl who looked no older than 14 appeared by his side.

I was astonished. She _had _to be older.

Blonde ringlets framed a doll face complete with large, glassy blue eyes.

"Mia, since you're Sergei's you can talk to Cici," he began. "Tell me, did you give anything to her?"

The girl, Mia, shook her head. "No, sir. Sergei told me not to," Mia said tonelessly.

She was lying.

Since she was flying higher than a kite in the middle of a hurricane (and NOT the eye...), the average person wouldn't be able to tell.

But I could.

And so could Victor.

He smiled with amusement. "I'm sure you didn't," he said sarcastically.

Mia gave a slight flinch, almost unnoticeable.

"But since you're Sergei's girl, I'll let him deal with you," he continued.

She flinch again, more obvious this time.

"Now, I need you to give Cici a message for me. Tell her...she has a special guest, and to take good care of him. Tell her it's her favorite...a body guard, by the name of Dimitri Belikov."

His smile was sadistic now.

"I'm sure she'll enjoy it."

Mia's eyes widened with fear and apprehension.

She shifted away from me.

I didn't understand why. Body guards are supposed to keep you safe. Wouldn't she go towards safety?

"O-okay," she stuttered.

"And make sure she knows he's a body guard. We wouldn't want any misunderstandings, now do we?"

He chuckled as Mia shrank further away from me.

"Tell her to take him to her room. She should be more...comfortable, and used to it there."

Cruelty oozed from him.

"Now go!" He snapped.

Mia let out a small squeak, and tore off.

The bad feeling in the pit of my stomach grew to the size and weight of a cannonball.

"Cici likes guards," he explained smugly.

Something told me she really didn't.

"Mia will take you to her room," he said as he began walking away.

"Oh, and, she listens most of the time, but if she doesn't, don't be afraid to punish her. She's used to it."

He disappeared into the crowd.

The last thing I heard was his dirt chuckle.

I took a deep breath.

This was turning out to be slightly more difficult than I first thought.

Please read the A/N; it'll explain some things about the story.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, here's the next chapter. Hope you liked it. Some of you seemed confused about what I said last chapter about being with Victor was better than being out on the streets. Let me explain. _

_ The city in which this story takes place is nonexistent. It's like a combination of Las Vegas and New York City. It's like, Sin City in the fiery pit of Hell. So really, for the girls, most of whom grew up in that house, like Rose, some of whom were born into this life, the choice is either be out in the streets, no food, no shelter, get raped and left to rot in a gutter somewhere, get diseases, and whatever else, OR live in a warm, comfortable house, with food every day, little chance of disease or pregnancy, a bed to sleep in, and no chance of rape. Or, well, you know what I mean. So that's what I meany by staying with Victor was the lesser of two evils. Sorry for the confusion. _

_ I'll try to get you another chappie soon (: Let's see Rose's reaction to Dimitri the body guard... _


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

RPOV:

I was dancing, as was my duty, when I saw Mia walking up to me as if my death had been sealed and she was here to tell me the time, place, and way of execution.

"Hey, chica," I said tiredly, as I climbed down, knowing I needed to. It had been a long day. "What's up?"

Mia swallowed. "Cici, I am so, so sorry!" She blurted out. "I – God, if only I could take your place!" She looked like she was about to cry.

I looked at her with concern. "Mia? What's wrong?" I asked.

She wrung her hands with agitation. "Victor – Victor wants you to take a customer to your room. _Your_ your room, I mean. And, um, he wanted me to tell you..." she trailed off, looking indecisive. The, as if coming to a conclusion, a fierce look of determination entered her face. "You know what? Victor can go screw himself. The rest of his message was lost in my drug addled brain," she finished sarcastically.

"Mia..." I began, worried for her. "I don't want you to get hurt. Just tell me what it is."

She looked at me for a long time. "What was the name of the guy who helped you? You know, the one that you said was really sweet and gorgeous, and also the reason you are still in trouble?" she asked me finally.

I felt a crease form between my brows as I looked at her, puzzled. "Dimitri, why?" I asked, feeling suspicious.

Mia hesitated. "Remember – remember...don't ever trust a man, okay? Just be careful." With that, she walked away, leaving me even more confused.

I puzzled on what she said all the way down to my room. The housing was attached by a hallway to the club, or well, our rooms were attached to the club by a hall; the main part of the house was blocked off by a very large door. I knew Mia would bring him there; it was an unspoken agreement between us. _Don't trust men. _Of course, I knew that rule. We came up with it a long time ago, when we first met and became friends. And especially after the suicide watch. But why Dimitri? I told her he was a gentleman, from what I saw. But maybe his opinion of me would change when he realized that I was a whore. The thought made me depressed. Then I remembered that day, over a month ago now, when Victor found out the truth. When Dimitri saw me. When I saw him talking to Victor, and a bad feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach. Damn, if only I had something to help me with this...

I sighed as I entered my room and prepared it for my customer. I hated taking them into my room. This was _my _place, the _only _place I had in this godforsaken house. I rested on my bed, mentally preparing for this. I could be an actress on Broadway with the way I could fake out everything when I was sober. Before I could get too comfortable, though, there was a knock on the door. I sat up and rearranged my limbs so I sat in a sexy pose. I fixed the black, see-through tank top like gown I had on; it only reached the bottom of my ass, and covered nothing, but it was better than some other things I'd worn. (Pic in A/N)

The adjustments took merely a few seconds, but Mia waited the customary 30 seconds before opening the door. It was an early warning system we had worked out. I knew that as soon as the door opened, she would be gone before the man could even see me. I let out a silent sigh. No help from her.

The door swung open to reveal a person I never expected to see, and Mia's retreating back as she scurried down the hallway back to the club.

My breath caught as the man stepped. His looked around the room cautiously, as if searching for something. He closed the door tightly behind him, then wandered around the room, not saying anything, or even looking at me. Once he had thoroughly examined it, he finally turn to me. It was his turn to catch his breath.

I knew I looked sexy in my lingerie, the top covering nothing except my chest, since there was a built in bra, and all I wore underneath was a black thong. The top clung to me, accenting my curves, and was particularly tight around my chest. Any man would appreciate it.

Usually when a man would stare at me the way Dimitri was now, so hungrily and lustfully, I would feel disgusted and like the whore that I am. But for some reason, under Dimitri's gaze, I felt wanted and sexy. A thrill went down my body, following the path of his eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, Dimitri's eyes finally met mine. The dark brown orbs seemed to stare straight into my heart and soul, as if all the walls and masks I put on and around myself were nonexistent. His eyes widened for some reason, and abruptly he looked away from me, as if remembering something.

"Are there – is there any..._devices _in here?" he asked carefully, still avoiding my eyes.

I frowned. "No, why would there be? Victor is a lot of things, but even he isn't perverted enough to put cameras and microphones in our rooms," I replied.

Dimitri nodded, and muttered something under his breath, which sounded awfully like, "Mistake number one." But I knew that couldn't be it, so I dismissed it.

I felt kind of awkward in this situation. The last time we had seen each other he had saved me from Jesse. I guess now it was time to pay the debt.

I slipped off the bed and strolled toward him. "So...you're here for a reason, right? Why don't we get on with it?" I said as I stood in front of him.

He looked down at me and seemed to be fighting with himself. He took a deep breath.

"That's not why I'm here...Rose."

I froze. _Shit. _

"Then why?" I asked in a controlled voice, taking a step back. I felt oddly relieved and disappointed at the same time.

He took another deep breath. "Are you – are you Rosemarie Analise Hathaway?" He suddenly asked.

I looked at him wide eyed. Did that mean – did that mean someone had found me? I didn't dare to hope.

I gave a slight nod. "Yes," I whispered.

Dimitri looked relieved and apprehensive at the same time. He licked his lips, and leaned toward me. "I swear to you, Rose, that I will get you out of here as soon as I can," he breathed into my ear.

I shuddered, feeling his warm breath on my neck. I swallowed, overwhelmed by his presence. Then everything Mia said came crashing down on me, and I jumped back.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking.

He looked startled. "I'm Dimitri," he replied.

The bad feeling came back tenfold. "Who. Are. You," I pronounced each word individually.

"I'm Dimitri Belikov," he said. "I...search for people. Your father employed me."

Belikov, Belikov...something about that name sounded familiar. Then it hit me, and I scrambled to the other side of the room.

"Stay away from me!" I snarled.

Dimitri looked horrified. "Rose!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"Body guard piece of shit! Your father runs the body guard business, huh? PI my ass. Did Victor put up to this?" I remembered what Mia had said – or refused to say. And I finally understood. _Don't trust men. _

"No! Rose, you're got it all wrong! Your father had me search for you! He's been looking for you for the last 6 years! The fact that I found you was pure coincidence!" He moved towards me, and I backed away even more.

"Stay back!" I snapped, and he halted in his tracks.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Look, Rose, I don't know why you're afraid, but I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you, I swear. Your father employed me to find you, and I found you." He glanced down at his watch. "I have to stay here for about ten more minutes, but I'll come back. Your father will help you."

"I don't _have _a father," I growled.

Dimitri winced. "You do." He hesitated. "I'll get your mother, then, if it makes you more comfortable."

"You stay the fuck away from my mother!" I glared at him. If looks could kill, he would have died about ten times over by now.

He gave me a long look. "I will get you out of here. I promise."

Out of everything he said, those words hit the hardest. Suddenly, it was like I couldn't control myself. I burst into tears, crumpling to the grounded.

He hesitated, but came towards me slowly, giving me all the time in the world to tell him to stop. But I didn't.

When he reached me, he pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me in comfort.

And for the first time in six years, I felt safe.

For the first time in six years, the arms around me were comforting.

For the first time in six years, no one was grabbing.

For the first time in six years...I was content.

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><p><em>Rose's Lingerie: <em> 3 . Bp . Blogspot _g0MwAQ7HPEg/TUt9b7ASLaI/AAAAAAAAANQ/huBEXgejhPY/s 1600/Wholesale_Sexy_Chemise_Nightwear_Lingerie_Und erwear . jpg It's also on my Facebook page, Tatiana Belikova – Fanfiction.

_A/N: Soo...what do you think? Good, bad? How is Dimitri going to get her out? I don't know, you tell me :P Check out the story I co-wrote with author ChelseaJayBayBeh: _ www . Fanfiction s / 8228125 / 1 / Im_Only_Me_When_Im_With_You

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews(: They make my day :D A special thanks to Winter McCarth for giving me some ideas. Don't worry, they'll be used soon enough (:


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

We sat there on the floor in the corner of her room, her tears wetting my shirt, for several long minutes. As she cried, I stroked her hair with one hand, while the other hand was wrapped around her, keeping her tight against my chest. I murmured softly in Russian into her ear as her small hands clutched my shirt tightly, as if afraid I would disappear.

When she calmed down, I made no move to let her go.

I liked her in my arms; it felt comfortable and natural.

She fit perfectly.

But as much as I wanted to stay there forever, I needed to go, so I could take her away from this hellhole.

"Roza," I murmured into her ear. "I have to go. I'm sorry. I will come back, though, I promise you." I pressed my lips to her hair.

Reluctantly, she let me go.

I stood up, then helped her up.

She wouldn't look at me, her hair covering her face.

Gently, I reached my hand up to her face, and brushed the hair out of her face.

Her eyes were slightly blood shot and swollen from crying. Otherwise, her face was mostly clear of any signs of crying, except for her adorable little nose, which was red.

My lips twitched, trying to smile at how absolutely _cute _she looked right now, but I held them back.

Rose bit her lip nervously. "Will you really come back?" she asked in a small voice.

I nodded. "Yes. I promise you," I repeated. "I will get you out of here, even if I have to die trying."

Her eyes widened. "Please try not to get yourself killed," she pleaded.

I hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "I'll do my best," I replied.

She looked at me with her piercing brown eyes. "You're a body guard," she stated.

I nodded in affirmative.

"Who do you guard?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but caught sight of the clock. I swore in Russian.

"That shall be answered next time. I must go," I said, stepping towards the door.

"Wait, you can't go out like that." Rose walked up to me. "Just do what I say, okay?"

I nodded cautiously, not sure what she was talking about.

Rose raised her hands, and ran them through my hair, tousling it, making it look disastrous – and like I just had the best sex of my life. Oh. _Now _it made sense.

She finished with my hair, and put her hands on my shoulders. "Your turn," she whispered.

Slowly, I put my hands into her hair, her beautiful hair, which I had wanted to touch the moment I saw her. It was already slightly messy due to her earlier breakdown. My clothes were also slightly disheveled because of it.

As I was thinking, I didn't notice she was getting closer until I felt her lips brush mine.

I gasped at the sensation.

She pulled millimeters away, leaving my lips tingling.

"What-?" I stuttered out.

"Kiss me," she breathed.

Her lips brushed mine with every syllable.

Gingerly, I lowered my head down so our lips touched.

All of a sudden, it was as if someone had flipped a switch.

We attacked one another's lips.

I had never been kissed the way Rose was kissing me now.

It was as if fireworks were going off. No, not fireworks – a thousand suns exploding like water balloons, letting out emotion I had never even dreamed of feeling.

Desperately, I reminded myself.

_She was my boss's daughter._

_ She had been hurt many times and groped by many guys._

_ She didn't want me to join the list._

But even with those reminders, I couldn't stop my body from reacting – at least not completely.

I felt rather than heard Rose giggle when she felt my reaction. I couldn't help but be embarrassed.

All thoughts of embarrassment flew out the window when our tongues touched.

It was no longer sons exploding – it was whole galaxies.

And I could see them all behind my eyelids.

Rose made a sound in the back of her throat, almost like a strangled moan.

I took it to mean that she was enjoying this as much as me.

Her hands gripped my hair, rendering her earlier act of mussing my hair pointless.

One of my hands was buried in her thick, luscious brown-black hair.

The other was snaked around her waste, holding her close to me.

After several long moments, we had to break apart for breathing purposes.

I don't know about her, but I wouldn't mind never stopping.

I leaned my forehead against hers, looking into her eyes while our breathing settled down.

They were bright, filled with joy, excitement, and life, for the first time since I had known her.

"Wow," she panted. "I've never had a kiss like that."

I laughed breathlessly. "Neither have I."

The reality of our situation seemed to hit both of us at the same time, causing us to break apart.

Rose ran a hand through her hair, trying to focus again.

I sighed. Damn reality. "I have to go. I promise I'll come back," I told her.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," she muttered bitterly, then seemed to realize what she said. She looked at me apologetically. "Sorry."

I shook my head, truly appalled at what she had been through. "I will get you out of here," I said forcefully.

She sighed, suddenly seeming defeated. The light faded from her eyes, and her face fell into a mask of blankness.

"Don't risk your life for me," she said softly, then turned away, indicating the conversation was over.

I walked to the door, placing my hand on the knob. Before I opened it, I turned back to look at her one last time.

She was sitting with her back to me, slightly hunched over, on the edge of the bed.

"I will see you again. I don't know when, but it will be soon. I must speak with your father, maybe even mother. But I _will _get you out," I insisted. I seemed to be saying that a lot.

As I opened the door and stepped out, I heard her say one last thing.

"Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"

For that, I had no answer.

_A/N: Well, there you have it! what do you think of Rose and Dimitri's first kiss? Good? Bad? Meh? Tell me! then check out my other story which I co-wrote with ChelseaJayBayBeh. We're feeling a bit unloved :( _ www . Fanfiction . (n)(e)(t) /s/8228125/1/Im_Only_Me_When_Im_With_You

Thank you all for your reviews! A special thank you to Winter McCarth once more for you wonderful review and ideas! (:


	30. Chapter 30

reDisclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I walked down the hall with a slight smile on my face, remembering her kiss. As I walked through the club, Victor spotted me. He joined me in my journey across the floor.

"Well? Was she to your liking?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

I let a leering grin infect my lips. "Oh, yes. She is _very _good at what she does. I might have to come back for seconds," I replied. _Oh, if only he knew, _I thought.

Victor nodded. "Yes, I get that a lot. She is a very good, isn't she? Didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

I shrugged. "Didn't come anywhere near me at first, but I..._persuaded _her." Not a total lie; she _didn't _come anywhere near me when I told her my name and found out who I was, and I _did _persuade her – just not how he took it.

He nodded in understanding. "Yes, she may give the guards some trouble. I don't understand why, though. You would think she would give them all the pleasure in the world for protecting innocent people, risking their lives and such." Victor had a glint in his eye that told me he knew _exactly _why she didn't like guards. I felt a burning need to know.

We were now at the edge of the dance floor.

"Well, I must get going, people to see, places to be," he said, then walked away with a satisfied smile. Suddenly, he turned. "You paid Cici, right?"

_Shiiiiit! Fuck, shit, cock sucker! _I swore in my mind. In the midst of everything I forgot to give her money to give to Victor. Shit, we're screwed.

I nodded nonchalantly. "Of course."

He nodded, finally leaving.

I muttered to myself as I stood there, trying to think of what to do. I couldn't go back for fear of Victor seeing me. I doubted she would come to me. Shit.

All of a sudden, I felt a tap on my arm. I turned around feeling confused when I didn't see anyone.

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat.

I looked down to see the petite blonde who led me to Rose.

"Yes?" I asked, a bit rudely. I was preoccupied with trying to solve the problem.

"I do believe you forgot to give Cici something," she snapped, holding out her hand.

My eyes widened, and a smile threatened to break out. _Roza, you're a genius._

"Oh, right, here." I dug the money out of my pocket and handed it to the blonde. Mia, I recalled her name."Thank you," I said sincerely.

She looked startled. "Oh, um, you're welcome?" she said hesitantly.

"Tell Ro – tell Cici I'll see her soon," I said, taking huge risk.

Mia glared at me. "I'm sure she'll want to see you again," she said rudely.

I flinched, but ignored her tone. "Tell her to be careful."

Suddenly, Mia's eyes softened. "Please don't hurt her," she pleaded. "She's a great girl. She still has a chance. Most of us here...we're gone. She...she still has a spark to her. It's dying, but it's there. Please save her. I'll do anything to help."

I was stunned. Here is this young girl, no older than my little sister, giving up her life, risking it to talk to a stranger to save her friend. I nodded, speechless.

"Thank you," she said softly, turning away.

"Wait!" I cried out. She looked at me inquiringly. "I – I'll do my best, I promise. But I might need your help. Are you willing to help?"

Mia nodded eagerly. "Anything."

I swallowed. "Alright. I have to meet with people, but I'll let you know about any help we need."

She nodded, then cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. "How about floor plans for the club, and plans for any shipments, shifts for the guards, shifts for employees, and such? Would that help?"

I looked at her, astounded once more. "I – yes, that would be immensely helpful," I replied.

Mia nodded again. "When do you need them by?" she asked, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"Um." I hesitated. "I'm not sure. Within a week, at least. I'll visit R – Cici, soon. At the end of next week at the latest. So have them ready in a week. Is that possible?" I asked, my mind spinning with ideas and plans.

Mia hesitated. "You might not have everything within a week. It'll take a lot of careful planning and thought, and perfect timing to get all of that," she warned.

I nodded. "I understand. Get everything you can, and if it's not everything by the time I come back, I'll take whatever you have and let you know if we need anything else, okay?" I scanned the club, making sure no one was paying us any attention.

Mia nodded again. "Got it. Now go, I have to get back to Cici before Victor. Bye." She hurried away, waving over her shoulder.

I watched until she disappeared, then walked out of the club.

I was on high alert as I made my way to my apartment. The night time was much more dangerous than the daytime.

As soon as I reached my home, I called Abe, leaving a message on his phone.

"I have information. Meet me tomorrow, somewhere safe." _Click._

I collapsed on my bed after a day of work. _I need sleep. _I thought, yawning.

I hauled myself up, changed, then crawled back into bed. My mind was filled with thoughts of Rose. Beautiful, broken Rose. Who could do something like that to an innocent child? I didn't understand it. It was mind boggling.

I sighed, closing my eyes. I had to get to sleep.

Finally relaxing, I drifted off to sleep, memories of Rose's lips spinning in my mind.

_I will get you out of there. _Was my last thought before I finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry, a but of a filler chapter, but it was necessary. Next chapter you'll get to find out the reasoning behind it all. (: Thank you all for your reviews(: _


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

I sat in a dark corner in the designated meeting spot, the Corner Cafe, waiting for Abe. Again.

Finally, he walked in, followed by two of his bodyguards. Something told me the rest were around the perimeter watching for any danger.

I shuddered just looking at them. Why was Rose so afraid?

Abe sat down across from me. "I got the feeling it was urgent?" He raised an eyebrow.

My mind was still on why Rose was afraid. I frowned. "Does Victor have bodyguards to keep the girls trapped?" I asked, perplexed.

Abe looked at me, startled and slightly irritated. "Does this have anything to do with the case?" he asked.

I shrugged. "It might," I said vaguely.

He glared at me for a moment before turning to one of his guards, which were sitting on either side of him.

"He uses bodyguards for suicide watch; the guards can do anything to the girls they want sexually," the guard said, emotionless, sounding a bit like a robot.

I stared in horror. Is that why? She was put on suicide watch? I couldn't fathom it. At that moment, I wanted to revoke my status as a guard, to destroy all records of it, tear down the company providing guards, and punish each and every filthy dog that dared touch my Roza in that way. I was disgusted with myself. How could anyone do that to such an innocent child? She was just 19! To suffer that since the age of 13...I shuddered, feeling bile crawl up my throat.

Victor was going to die if it was the last thing I ever did.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay, sorry for the uber short chapter, but it seemed like the perfect spot to end. More is to come, I promise you! Later today, hopefully(: I'm so so sorry for leaving you hanging like that! But sadly, this story is soon coming to a close :( Depending where I end (I have a couple endings in mind), I might even write a sequel! No promises, though. I'll be needing ideas for the sequel, IF I decide to write one, but not until the end of the story(:  
>While you're waiting for another update, read my collab with Chelsea Castile! www . Fanfiction s  8228125 / 1 / Im_Only_Me_When_Im_With_You _


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

"Belikov!" Abe's voice brought me out of my inner horror. "What the fuck is your problem? I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes!"

I shook my thoughts off. "I'm sorry. Just...anyway. Rose is indeed with Victor. She is called 'Cici.' I talked to her and let her know I was helping her. One of her friends, Mia, has offered to help us. She will be getting schedules, floor plans, any kind of information we need." I told him all the information I had in one breath.

Abe's eyes were wide, then they turned purely black. He settled back in his seat, deathly calm. "So. Victor has her. Hm." That's all he said for several long minutes. Minutes that seemed to stretch on forever. He was deep in thought, and I could only hope that he was coming up with a plan.

"So that bastard was right," Abe finally said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Right, sir? About what?" I asked. Was this the motive behind kidnapping Abe's daughter.

"He always did say he would get his revenge. And he was right. He always said it would be tenfold what he felt. And he was right. Tenfold, twenty. A hundred times worse. Knowing she went through all that. At least she had a clean death. Fast. Painless. My Rosie has had to suffer since she was thirteen. I was so lost. Janie was so lost. He let me know the truth. There was no chase. He wanted me to know."

I was slightly terrified by this point. Abe sounded so defeated, so heartbroken. I didn't know what to do. He sounded so, so sad. It made me depressed.

"My poor Rosie," he whispered. "He wins. Yes, Victor, you win." He closed his eyes, and buried his head in his hands.

"Abe," I said, my voice catching. I had never seen a man so defeated. Staring a dying man in the face was brighter than seeing Abe. Desperate men were happier than Abe. I didn't know what to do. And that was the worst feeling of all.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I promise you will get the full story later(: Another short chapter, I know, but two on the same day...It's gotta count for something, right? :D Let's give Abe some alone time to get over his grief so he can rescue his Rosie, alright? More to come tomorrow! Or maybe even later tonight, depending on your response! So, type your thoughts into that...box down there! :D And do read our collab, please! __ www . Fanfiction s / 8228125 / 1 / Im_Only_Me_When_Im_With_You_


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

Abe left shortly after that, with a promise to meet up again tomorrow. I sighed. Now what was I supposed to do? Wait? I shook my head. I decided to search for more information about Victor, so I left the cafe and head back to my apartment.

Five hours, two pots of coffee, a TV dinner, and a giant headache later, I had a lot of information, half of which was useless. I was able to procure floor plans for both his club, and the attached mansion, as well as a list of close friends. Admittedly, in this world, there was hardly such a thing as 'close friends,' but Victor seemed to be very close to a certain Sergei Zeklos. They were both in the business, although Victor more than Sergei. Something was tugging at the back of my head, some thought, memory. Mia. Something about Mia. I knew she didn't belong to Abe. She was Sergei's, I realized. I was determined to get her out too. She was a brave girl.

I sighed. There wasn't much info I could get on Victor from a computer that wasn't already known. He was smart, not having any secrets that weren't well protected. I sighed again. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I was up bright and early. I was eager to get down to the cafe so that we could hatch a plan finally. Consequently, I was early by at least a half hour. So I decided to grab some breakfast while I waited.<p>

It seemed as though Abe was also eager to get this meeting on the road because he came in just as I was getting my coffee and scrambled eggs with bacon.

He sat down, and before the waitress could leave, he asked for coffee and an English muffin. She nodded, the scurried away to put in his order.

Once she was gone, we looked at each other for a long moment.

I broke the tense silence. "So how do we start? I have the floor plans for both his club and mansion. Mia will get guard schedules, so we can get in and out quickly. She is also going to get the shift schedule for Rose. How are we doing this?"

Abe looked thoughtful. "If we have all the information...well, Victor will be expecting anything. He won't give up without a fight. So I think we should just scrap any plans of sneaking in since he will be on the look out for it, and just walk in, guns blazing. Or, I will, and you will sneak through the back and get my daughter."

We continued planning for the next several hours, ordering many cups of coffee during that time, until we had a plan down pat. Nothing was going to go wrong.

Or so I thought.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well, I felt a little unloved :( Did you guys not like the last two chapters? I know it's been a while but...:( The chapter after the next will be the rescue. Any ideas as to what will happen? But it might be a bit before I can get that chapter to you; it will be need to be carefully thought out(: While you're waiting...read my collab with Chelsea Castile! www . Fanfiction s / 8228125 / 1 / Im_Only_Me_When_Im_With_You_

_P.S. Thank you for the people who did review. At least I know _someone _is reading my story. _


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.

DPOV:

A week later, I made my way to Victor's club again. I knew I had to be extra cautious now, because Victor was sure to get suspicious.

"Belikov!" he exclaimed when he saw me. "Surprised to see you again. Can't get enough, can you?" He leered at me.

I smirked. "One taste was enough to get me hooked," I replied, feeling repulsed by my own words. "Is Cici free?"

Victor hesitated, looking at me calculatingly. "No, I believe she is...indisposed at this very moment in time. And will be for the next about four days. On the special list. How about Tasha? She is also very good, beautiful long black hair. And she's very willing too. She came to me several years ago, begging to be in the business," he said.

I thought it over. Take the offer, to not rouse suspicion? Or demand Rose? I wasn't really in the mood to do anything, and the thought of a girl actually asking to be in this business was pretty sickening.

Suddenly, I remembered Mia. _There's an idea!_

"Hm, I don't know. The fact that she came to you begging...is, aahh, a bit of a turn off," I finally told him.

Victor shrugged, not seeming at all bothered by that fact.

"What about that one girl? The blonde that showed me to Cici? I forgot her name," I bluffed.

Victor looked thoughtful. "Hm...I suppose so. She's Sergei's, so just give her the money. She'll know what to do," he replied.

Immediately my defenses were up; he gave in waaaay too easily. Something was going on. God, I hoped Rose was alright.

I merely nodded in response. He glanced around the dark club, and I followed his eyes.

Bodies were pressed together, grinding and groping each other to the beat of the music, which sounded foreign. I listened closer, focusing on the music for the first time, and realized it sounded that way because it was dubstep. Skrillex.

The strobe lights accented that song, simulating the dubstep by flashing on and off, changing colors with the bass drop. (Song: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites)

While I was distracted by the lights, Victor had called someone over. I didn't know how he saw anyone in the crowd; there were dimmed lights above the bar where we stood just bright enough to see who was there, but beyond that, it was a strobe fest.

"Tell Mia she has a customer," he told the girl. She nodded and I noticed it was the black haired girl from the first time I was here. I couldn't remember her name.

"Yes, sir," she said, then walked away.

"That was Tasha. Pretty little thing, isn't she?" Victor said, stroking his chin.

And she was. With her long black hair, pretty blue eyes, and delicate face, she would have been a knock out. But knowing she wanted this made her ugly, especially knowing at least some of what Rose went though.

"She is," I muttered.

"Well, I have other matters to attend to, so just wait here for Tasha. She'll lead you to your room." He walked away, and a feeling of unease settled in the pit of my stomach. _Too easy! _my instincts screamed at me. _It was way too easy. He knows. _

I waited obediently for Tasha to come back, drumming my fingers nervously on the bar. I needed to speak with Rose... and Mia. It was a matter of life and death. I had to know that Rose was alright and wouldn't go anywhere. If she did, all of our efforts would have been useless.

"You coming, handsome?" Tasha's voice behind me made me jump out of my skin. I spun around and saw a smirk on her lips. "Jumpy, aren't you?"

"Let's go," I grunted, wanting to get away from her.

She started weaving her way along the edge of the dance floor, walking to Mia's room or so I assumed. We kept going for several minutes until we reached a corridor lined with numbered doors. She lead me to a door that was slightly cracked open.

"Mia, your customer!" She called in the doorway.

"Bring him in!" Mia's voice sounded from the inside.

Tasha waved me in. I walked in, and she shut the door behind me.

"Well, hello there, gorgeous," Mia began, but then seemed to realize who she was talking to. "Oh, it's you. Thank God!"

She got off the bed and walked over to me, giving me a hug. Startled, I awkwardly patted her back. She pulled away, blushing.

"Sorry, my impulse control is almost as bad as Cici's," Mia muttered, turning away. "I got you almost everything you would need. Sergei has to go to a meeting this Friday, so Victor is going to be 'watching,'" she air-quoted 'watching,' "us girls. I'll be here, and it'll be a bit full and confusing, so -"

"Are there any cameras here?" I interrupted Mia. She frowned. "Sorry," I added.

"No. Victor is luckily not a sick pervert. Sergei, on the other hand..." she trailed off, grimacing.

I couldn't help but grimace too. It was really sickening and further degrading to actually video the acts.

"Well, anyway. I have the guard schedule, Sergei is going to be gone, so more girls here, Victor is going to be here, unfortunately. He doesn't plan on leaving for another month. I don't think Cici will last a month," Mia continued.  
>"Why doesn't Sergei just leave the club for someone else to take care of while he's gone? And what do you mean, 'won't last a month?" I asked her.<p>

Mia sighed. "Sergei doesn't trust anyone to run his club while he's gone. Neither does Victor. Which is why they are never gone at the same time. Cici...well, is pretty much confined to her room. The only time I managed to talk to her was when I was quickly freshening up in the bathroom while my guy waited and she was between guys. I think Victor is onto us. Or at least onto me. I don't think I snuck around too good." She frowned.

"Oh, alright. Don't worry about floor plans; I have them. I'll be needing the schedules for the guards, and -" I was cut off by the door opening.

"Hey, Mia." Rose walked into the room, looking down. She looked up. "I can't believe - what the fuck?!" Rose exclaimed, her eyes wide as they darted between Mia and I. Suddenly, I realized what a compromising position we were in, at least in Rose's eyes. I had taken off my duster, which lay in a heap on the floor, and sat down on the edge of the bed, my legs crossed. Mia sat in front of me, also on the bed, mirroring my position. From Rose's point of view, it almost looked like Mia was on my lap.

"Rose!" Mia leaped up, tackling her in a hug, oblivious to the sudden tension in the room.

Rose glared at me. "Oh, yeah, you're helping me alright," she said sarcastically.

"No, Rose, I am!" I exclaimed, scrambling off the bed. "We were just talking. She's helping me help."

"Yeah, sure. Should've known better than to trust a guy," she muttered, pulling away from Mia, and heading towards the door she came out of, which I now saw led to a bathroom.

"Wait, Rose, where are you going?" Mia asked, sounding confused.

Rose turned around to glare at me. "Away from him," she spat out.

"But...what? No, Cici, you need to know the plan too! Plus, I haven't talked to you all day! Don't leave!" Mia cried out, looking upset.

Poor Mia. She didn't see that Rose thought something was going on between us. I sighed, running a hand through my hair in agitation.

"Rose, look, nothing was going on. She's in on the plan too, she was getting papers I need. I tried tosee you, but Victor wouldn't let me, so I went for Mia, so we could continue the plan, and so she could tell you since I couldn't." I said all this quickly, hoping that if she heard everything fast, she would listen and believe me.

"Yeah, he's one of the good guys. He's gonna help you get out of this hellhole!" She sounded positively giddy as she said this.

"Yeah, but apparently he is still a guy," she muttered, looking at me darkly.

I sighed again. What would it take to convince her that nothing was going on?

"Wait, what did you think we were doing?" Mia looked between us, confused. "We were just planning. Nothing else. God, you should know me better than that, Cici!"

Rose winced. "Mia, babe, do me a huge favor and don't call me Cici. That's the name _They _gave me. Call me Rose. Well, in private, at least." Rose sighed. "I guess I overreacted. Sorry," she muttered, but continued to look at me warily.

"Alright...Rose." Mia hesitated, testing out her name on her tongue. "Hmm. You do look like a Rose..." She trailed off thoughtfully. "Anywho, you are allowed to overreact. It's that time when you can get away with murder." She giggled.

I felt my face scrunch up in confusion. _That time when you can get away with murder? What's that supposed to mean? _Suddenly, I remembered something Victor had said: "_She is...indisposed at this very moment in time. And will be for the next about four days. On the special list." _Coupled with what Mia said, and Rose's pain and slightly mortified expression, I realized with terrible clarity and horrification that she was on her period. Disgust poured through me in a tidal wave. How could Victor do that? A nauseous feeling built up in my stomach. I imagined one of my sisters going through that, and had to swallow back bile. Looking at Rose's small face, and seeing the deep pain, pain that would never leave, I felt my heart shatter. To force a young girl, any age girl, really, to go through that pain...was beyond horrendous. I had no words to describe the absolute horror I was feeling. As I continued looking at Rose, a heavy weight seemed to settle on my chest, driving the jagged edges of my broken heart deeper into my chest with each breath.

"Oh, Roza," I breathed out in an agonized whisper.

Tears slowly began rolling down her face as she deciphered my expression. Her eyes took on a hollow look as her face contorted, trying in vain to show her pain. Suddenly, it was as if I was looking into hell itself, and seeing all the tortured souls within her eyes. Her agony was like molten lava, searing me, but at the same time freezing me. Her eyes had me rooted to the spot. It was as if I was drowning in an ocean of boiling acid, weeds of razor blades sliding along my body. The intense emotion was more than even what our kiss had been. The saying about the eyes being the windows to the soul was right; her soul was a lost and lonely thing, all twisted around itself, the pain and hopelessness in its purest form causing it to drown, deep within. The urge to take away all the hurt snaked through my veins, its staggering power making me breathless. Almost without thought or conscious command, my legs carried me across the room, and my arms enveloped Rose in a protective hug, never wanting to let go.

Rose's thin arms wrapped around me in a death grip, as if she was holding herself together, seeming if she held me tight enough, everything would go away. As if I was the only thing holding her there, on this world. Her grip was so strong that I, who has been trained in fighting since I was seven, would have trouble breaking it, not that I wanted to. I held onto her just as tightly, hoping that if I held her tight enough, long enough, the broken pieces of her would come back together and never break again.

We stayed like that for several long minutes, until Rose finally calmed down and I had reassured myself that if I let her go, demons would _not _try to take her away. I couldn't understand this strange connection I had with her. I barely knew the girl, yet the thought of anyone so much as touching her made me want to kill them. Sure, I was protective of women; no one with an ounce of integrity would want to see one hurt. But the protectiveness I felt for Rose was more personal, like the kind I felt only for my family. I didn't understand it, and now wasn't the time to dissect it.

The three of us settled on the bed again. This time, Rose was leaning into me with Mia in front of us. We began planning and plotting out the details. Thank God I had my duster, which had hidden pockets on the inside.

"So you'll make sure you're in this room Friday, right? Or with Mia?" I had to make sure Rose was in the right place at the right time.

She nodded. "Yes."

I nodded too. "Alright, I best get going," I murmured as I stood up, stretching. Every cell in my body was screaming at me to not leave Rose here, to simply grab her and run away so some secluded place in the middle of nowhere, Russia, and hide her from the world. I couldn't do that, though, because either I, she, or both of us would be dead before we stepped foot out of the club. I sighed, running a hand through my hair, then looked at Rose.

A sorrowful look had appeared on her face, showing she shared my sentiment of not leaving her here. She stood up from the bed and approached me, a smile playing on her lips. I knew exactly what she was going to do, and leaned down to help her.

Our lips met once more in a flurry of sparks. My entire body heated up, from my lips to the top of my head, down to my toes. This kiss was slower, filled with a hidden meaning, a hope, and a promise. Our hands tangled in each others' hair as our bodies pressed together in an attempt to become a physical part of the other. Our tongues danced to the rhythm of our beating hearts, a tune only the two of us could here. Air had no meaning in our world; we were the air the other needed. The intensity of the kiss increased, becoming more rapid as our hearts flew, as if trying make up for all the heartbeats the two of us missed while we were apart. My grip on her tightened until she couldn't have breathed even if she wanted to, but I knew I wasn't hurting her because her grip was just as tight. I never wanted this kiss to end. If it ended, our world would be gone, and I never wanted to leave this place of bliss and happiness and warmth. The real world was a cold, heartless place; our world was the beauty of two hearts together.

When we finally broke apart gasping, I was light headed from the lack of oxygen. I stumbled slightly into the bed, Rose still in my arms. Gripping the edge of the bed, I steadied the two of us, gulping much needed air. After the both of us caught our breath, we looked around to see Mia had disappeared. I frowned,but then heard the sound of the shower running in the bathroom, and relaxed.

Looking down at Rose, I couldn't help but smile. "You are so beautiful," I whispered, softly stroking her cheek. She blushed, and looked up at me through her eyelashes shyly.

"Really?" She asked in a trembling voice.

I leaned down and pressed a sweet, chaste kiss on her lips. "Really," I breathed against her lips.

Rose's eyes closed, and burrowed her face into my chest. "Thank you," she said, her voice muffled by my shirt. She took a deep breath and slowly pulled away, her expression slightly dazed. "You should go. Be safe. Come back to me, okay?" She looked into my eyes, her hands gripping my shirt.

I nodded slowly. "I promise to be safe, come back to you, and then leave with you. You be safe too, alright? Keep to yourself, don't say anything, don't get hurt." I looked at her seriously, before pressing one last kiss on her forehead and backing away slowly, keeping eye contact.

She nodded. "I promise." I gave her one last smile, then remembered I was supposed to 'pay' Mia, and reached into my pocket for the money, tossing it to Rose.

She caught it, looking at it questioningly. "For Mia," I responded.

She nodded in understanding, then blew me a kiss. I pretended to catch it, and blew on back before finally walking out the door. I couldn't wait until Friday, I thought as I walked out with a smile on my face.

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><p><em>AN: I am so so sorry about the long wait! I never seemed to have the time or energy to write the chapter, but now that that's done...What do you guys think? Like the emotion? The second kiss? Next chapter is the long awaited rescue. And I promise not to wait too long! By the end of the week at the latest, promise! Hopefully, by tomorrow. Thank you to my lovely beta, Chelsea Castile! You're the best, twin! Thank you everyone for your reviews! _


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, the awemazing Richelle Mead does(:

DPOV:

Friday couldn't come soon enough for me.

After many discussions - arguments - between Abe and I, it was decided that we would simply go in, guns blazing. Both of us knew Victor most likely knew we were going to do _something_, so there was no point in being subtle.

On the morning of D-day, we began preparing ourselves. Kevlar vests under shirts, belts filled with guns and various other weapons resting around our waists, and a dozen men out of Abe's 'army' were only some of the steps we took before storming Victor's lair.

By the time 5 p.m. - our designated 'attack time' - rolled around, the anticipation was so bad that I was literally twitching. It settled in my stomach like some kind of slimy jumping bean, inviting a party of angry hummingbirds to dance around in my stomach. I was wired so tightly that when one of Abe's men suddenly came into the room to tells us it was time, I almost blew his head off.

After that slightly scare, we all filed out to the three green, military-style Jeeps we would be taking. Abe and I climbed into the first one with only two man, saving the last seat for Rose; the other 10 men split themselves between the last two Jeeps.

We drove quickly to the club, the other two Jeeps trailing behind us. As soon as the Jeep stopped, everyone was out, leaving the doors open. We strode purposefully into the club through the backdoor - even though we weren't exactly hiding our intentions, we didn't want to be stopped any more than necessary. We had timed our arrival well; the guards were just switching, so no one was there. That didn't mean that the guards further on her also switching; Victor was smart. He staggered the rotation so that there was always some guards on duty. Very ingenious, if you ask me, and I would have applauded his intelligence and wit. Now, it was simply an annoyance and hindrance.

The rooms were, thank the Lord, close by the backdoor, yet another reason we used it.

"Spread out," Abe commanded his men through the headset each of us had. He pointed to two men, his near guards. "You two, come with me."

We made our way swiftly toward Rose's room. Halfway there, we were ambushed. Suddenly, everything was in pandemonium. Guards surrounded us, shooting every which way, Abe's men shooting back, shouting, shouting orders, shouting cries of pain, calling for backup, calling retreat. Through it all, I ducked, trying to avoid dying. trying to keep my promise. I _would _keep my promise, I thought, gritting my teeth and pushing through. I would find her, help her. Or die trying. _You promised, _her voiced seemed to whisper. _You promised to be safe. _

_ This is war! _I wanted to scream back. _I can't guarantee my safety; only hers. _

_Then you're a liar. _

I pushed through the chaos blindly, hoping to find some safe ground where I could get my bearings.

Suddenly, I hit a wall. ducking into a corner, I surveyed the scene. Guards were fighting guards; hand to hand, gun to gun. Patron were screaming, cowering, running, joining in. Girls were crying, men, wounded, were groaning. And somewhere, somewhere, he was laughing.

I couldn't hear him; there was no sound but the dying and dead in this place, but I felt in my heart; his laughter cold and maniacal, getting closer and closer, as I sat far away.

_ No! _Something in me broke. _I have to get to her! _With a mighty effort, I stood up, dodging men left and right, pushing through the sea. But unlike for Moses, this sea didn't part for me; I fought through myself.

I had the incredible serendipity of finding exactly where Rose was. Or her room, anyway. There was no guarantee she was actually in there. I threw open the door, praying to whoever was up there that she was safe and sound behind the door. I walked through the door, looking around. My eyes landed on Rose.

With s high pitched cry, she hurled herself into my arms. "Oh, God, I thought you would never make it! What's going on? It sounds like World War III out there!" She kept patting down my chest and arms as if to make sure I was alright.

"Pretty damn close," I muttered, also checking her over to make sure she was fine.

"Rose!" Abe's voice sounded from behind us.

Both of us turned around to see Abe, his face slightly banged up, and bleeding from one arm, but otherwise whole, with no visible holes.

"Are you-are you my father? The one Dimitri talked so much about?" Rose asked quizzically, slowly pulling away. Abe strode farther into the room, stopping a few feet away from us.

"Yes, yes I'm your father." Abe nodded eagerly, opening his arms wide.

Rose began walking toward him but just before she could reach him, someone jumped into the room, grabbing her and putting a gun to her head. Simultaneously, both Abe and I pulled out our guns and pointed them at the perpetrator.

"Victor!" Abe spat, glaring holes into the man's - no, the _animal's _face.

"Abe! My dear friend. We meet again." Victor smiled sickeningly, his eyes wild with insanity.

"Why?" Abe cried out desperately, staring in horror at the gun pointed at Rose's head. "What did she ever do to you?"

"She? _She?" _Victor grabbed her hair and shook her by it, subsequently shaking her whole body. I could see Rose gritting her teeth to keep from crying out, and felt mine clench in response. I could almost feel her pain it was so tangible. "She is paying for you!" Victor screeched, looking truly crazy, his eyes glowing with a strange light. "You took the only thing I loved away from me! You took my Natalie!" He had tears pouring down his face now. "So I took the only thing you were protecting! Some protection she had!" He laughed again, the sound chilling my bones. "I took her! But I didn't kill her, oh no! I did worse! I took her and I _broke her!_You will never have your little girl! I broke her! She's used toy no one wants! Noone will want her! She will never feel loved! Just like my Natalie! Rotting away on her grave, never feeling a father's love again! She's brokenand I can't fix her! So I broke her! Now you can't fix her! You will feel my pain in each of her screams! When she dreams of what I put her through, you will feel my pain! Death would be a blessing for her, but oh no! I would never give you the satisfaction of a clean death! Oh no. You will suffer tenfold what I did! I swore! I swore until my dying breath I would get revenge! I did!" He laughed again. He pressed the gun farther into Rose's head. "Or maybe I'll give daddy dearest nightmares until his dying of the me blowing the brains out of his daughter. Why don't we see if she's pretty _and _brainy? Huh?"

Rose looked at me, panicked, then determined. It seemed that in his little rant, Victor forgot that Rose could still fight back. For once, her height worked in her favor. She slipped down a little until her elbow was about level with his groin. Then, taking a deep breath, she pulled her elbow back and rammed it straight into his nuts, then stomped on his foot. Automatically, Victor's hold on her slipped as the pain kicked in. I found myself wincing at the imagined pain, but all was forgotten as Rose sprinted across the room into my arms. I caught her, using her momentum to spin us around so she was behind me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Victor get up, swaying slightly on his feet. Abe brought up his gun level with Victor's head, and I pulled Rose into my chest, hiding her face, and put mine her hair as the gun rang out one last time, and Victor hit the ground, never getting up again.

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><p><em>AN: Sorry it took so long! Well, what do you guys think? Good enough rescue? Was it worth the wait? Please tell me! Even if you never review again, please tell me what you think of this chapter; I feel like I didn't do it justice..._

_On a side note, I just realized that there are about 2-3 more chapters to this story; then it's complete! Sequel? Well, that's up to you! I have a poll on my profile, but please don't vote until you read the last chapter. I'm not quite done torturing yet...The next chapter should be soon! This one wasn't too late...(:_


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does(:

RPOV:

_Two weeks later_

I woke up suddenly with a gasp. I took several deep breaths, then snuggled closer to Dimitri, who was sleeping next to me. He shifted in his sleep so his body now completely curved around mine, creating a barrier between me and the rest of the world. His arms tightened around me, pulling me even closer. I sighed quietly, letting my mind drift.

Dimitri and I had been here in Hawaii for the last five days.

After Victor had died, Dimitri had picked me up, and he and Abe started to leave, calling retreat. I'd clung to Dimitri like a koala bear to a tree, but half way to the doors I remembered Mia. Actually, I saw Mia, and screamed for Dimitri to get her. He had let me go and we'd run into each others arms, hugging.

"_Rose, we need to go!" Dimitri yelled above the racket. _

"_No, not without Mia!" I screamed back._

_Dimitri looked at Abe for a moment, communicating with their eyes. Abe nodded, and a man came up behind Mia, hoisting her up. She screamed at the same time I did._

"_Shh, Roza, he's one of ours," Dimitri murmured, picking me up again. He walked close to the other man, Mason I later learned, so that Mia and I could hold hands. We latched onto one another, not letting go until it was time to be put in the cars._

_Mia went with Mason, while Dimitri put me in the back of his car. When he went to set me down, I clung to him._

_ "Don't leave," I whimpered. I had the terrifying thought that if he let me go, they would grab me and drag me back. Never again would I go back. Never. _

_ Dimitri hesitated, but nodded. He started to move away again. _

_ "Where -?" I started._

_ "You have to let me go so I can sit down myself," he said with amusement._

_ Reluctantly, I let him go briefly so he could jump into the Jeep, but as soon as the door closed behind him, I was stuck to him like a fly to fly paper. _

We had driven quickly out of city limits, the Nevada sun setting behind us. I didn't remember much of the ride; all I knew was Dimitri was next to me and I was safe.

We'd driven what seemed to be half way across Nevada when we finally arrived at Abe's house. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't small either. I had been half asleep when Dimitri carried me to my room. As he was about to leave, I hung on his arms, asking him to stay. Ever since that night, Dimitri slept with me, keeping me safe. Nightmares would wake me up, as per usual, but I had long ago learned not to scream, so most of the time my waking hadn't disturbed the others. Abe and I got to know each other during the week, and both Mia and I had begun to be comfortable in the house, but it was a long road to recovery.

About a week after we escaped, in the middle of the night Abe woke us up.

"_Rosie, Rosie wake up," Abe shook me gently. My eyes snapped open. _

"_What?" I mumbled, still half asleep._

"_You have to get dressed and packed," Abe murmured back._

_ Next to me, Dimitri was already sitting up, swinging his legs out of bed. _

"_I've been called to a 'conference,'" he continued. "I don't know if I'll come back. I'll claim revenge, but no promises. I'll do my best to come back, but I want to know you're safe."_

"_Where are you putting me, Baba?" He had asked me to called him 'dad,' but I wasn't comfortable with saying it, so we had compromised; I know called him dad in Turkish. _

"_Kiz...you'll see. Dimitri, Mason, and Mia will go with you. That's all. Stay safe, alright?" Abe kissed me on the forehead and began backing up._

"_But Baba-" I grabbed his arm. "How will I know if you're alright? What about mom?" We hadn't gone back for mom because _they _knew where she lived, meaning they knew where I would be, which meant my mom would have been in danger. Abe assured me that we could go back to her once everything blew over. We all knew that what was happening now was a possibility, and in all honesty I was surprised it took so long. _

_ Dimitri was already moving around the room, packing the essentials. Of course, that was all I really had; I hadn't wanted to go out of the house and Abe hadn't argued, so Dimitri had gone a short trip to the local story to get me some clothes and other necessities. It had been a short trip because about 40 minutes into it, Abe had no longer been able to distract me, and I had began to panic, crying out for Dimitri. It had been so long since I was safe, and then it was always with Dimitri, that I was terrified of being away from him. What if something happened to him? What if _they _came back and took me? What if Abe's body guards started touching me, hurting me? All these possibilities and more made my head spin and my heart race with fear to the point where I had locked myself in my room until Dimitri came home, ten minutes later, and got me to open it. As soon as he came in, I had jumped on him and not let go all day and long into the night, when I finally fell asleep. I had even taken him to the bathroom, but he had turned around. Normally, I would have been embarrassed, but thoughts of someone else walking in while I was using it, taking advantage of Dimitri not being there, had erased all shyness in me. _

_Dimitri was done in a few short minutes, and we were all bundled up into what had now become Dimitri's Jeep. Abe kissed my cheek goodbye one last time, and we were on our way. _

_ We drove for 16 hours to an airport in California, stopping only for food and bathroom breaks. Mason and Dimitri traded off half way there so Dimitri could sleep, me curled up in his arms - his choice - and Mason driving with Mia next to him. _

_ After we arrived at the airport, we immediately jumped on a flight, flying for 5 and a half hours to Hawaii. _

Both Mia and I had been able to relax more here, without reminders of our life, than we had been at Abe's house. There'd been no word from that world, but Dimitri had assured me that that was a good thing.

"It means that Abe is alright and doesn't want to risk anyone finding you," he had told me after one of my nervous breakdowns. "He will be alright, Roza. Don't worry so much." Then he had kissed me on the forehead.

Since the last time Dimitri had kissed me while I was still Victor's, we hadn't had any kind of intimate contact. Sure, we slept in the same bed in each others' arms, but that was for safety purposes; I couldn't sleep otherwise. He hugged me with the occasionally affectionate kiss on the cheek or forehead, but never anything that would be considered...romantic. I knew it was because a, I was his boss's daughter, and his boss was always just down the hall, and b, he didn't want to push, but I wanted to have that. Maybe not all the way...okay, there was no maybe; I don't I could handle anything more than a kiss for the next ten years, but I still wanted that connection we had. I craved feeling loved, and taken care of. Dimitri always made me feel safe, and sometimes, when he was very relaxed, he let his emotions slip out by putting an arm around me and pulling me into his chest, or cuddling with me while watching a movie, but nothing more. And that was taking its toll on me. While I didn't want to jump into a relationship - I was way too damaged for that - it made me believe that I was too damaged to be loved.

I had never been insecure about my looks; I never had the need to. But with Dimitri holding me at an arm's length emotionally, it made me think that I wasn't pretty enough to be closer. I felt like I was ugly, inside and out. Who would want someone like me, someone who slept with so many guys, who was used for her body? I loathed myself. I couldn't look in the mirror, because I would always cry about how used my body was. I never told any of it to Dimitri, just let him hold me. I wanted so badly to pour my heart out to him, but I was afraid that he would confirm all my fears, and never touch me again.

Mia, on the other hand, was dealing with things a bit better. Her and Mason had gotten closer over the two weeks they had spent together, and it always made me feel better when I saw them talking, or hugging, and especially when I witnessed their tentative flirting. Mason understood Mia's boundaries and never pushed her. I could tell that there was love blossoming between the two, and that made my heart ache even more. I never let it on, preferring instead to be happy for Mia and encourage her. At least one of us was finding love.

I sighed again as I thought all this. Dimitri stirred next to me.

"Mmm, go t'sleep," he mumbled, his sleepy voice sounding adorable. He pulled me closer to him, as if it was possible. My face was pressed into his chest, filling my nose with the mouthwatering scent of him. I smiled; I'm sure he felt it against his skin because he pulled me even closer, burying his face in my hair. One of his legs was slung carelessly over mine, trapping me to him, but it didn't bother me; I felt safe and happy surrounded in a cocoon of warm limbs and Dimitri's scent. Letting my eyes drift close as the happy feelings filled my heart, I fell asleep again with a smile on my face.

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><p><em>AN: Sorry for the long wait! Well, it wasn't that long, but still. So...this is the second to last chapter! Next chapter is THE last chapter! What do you think? Thank you all for your wondrous reviews! And I forgot to do this last chapter, but __**THANK YOU TO Nellyrose1994 FOR REVIEWING EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER! YOU'RE AWESOME! **__Tell me what you think! _


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does, nor do I own Max by James Patterson, nor do I own 'My Wish' by Rascal Flatts.**

RPOV:****

1 weeks later

Hanging out in Hawaii was doing great things to my skin. After being inside for almost six straight years, my naturally tan skin had become pasty pale. Being out in the Hawaii sun tanned my skin, and made it look much more healthy than it was before. Over the last few days, Mia, Mason, Dimitri and I had went out as a group, seeing the local sights.

Mason was fast becoming very over-protective of Mia. He was always close by and never let a man, or anyone else, come closer than three feet of her. I found it adorable, and so did Mia, which she told me in the few times we were alone away from our men. I noticed that Mason had also begun sleeping with Mia; I didn't know if they were in the same bed, but I knew they were in the same room. Whenever she was around Mason, Mia looked happy. She looked like the 18 year old that she was for the first time in her life. It lightened my heart to know that she was healing. Of course, I wasn't naive enough to think she was totally fine; there were times when she would lock herself in her room, and I was the only one who could get her out. She also never really let Mason get close to her physically. Anything passed a hug was out of line. Mason respected that as much as Dimitri did, thankfully.

Speaking of Dimitri...He had finally asked me out on a date! It took me breaking down in tears for him to realize that I wanted more than his friendship, but every man needs a little nudge at times, right? I thought back to what happened two days ago.

_Dimitri and I were getting ready to go out again with Mia and Mason, to swim with dolphins. As per usual, he went to step out of the room to let me change. Something in that bothered me. Not that I didn't like my privacy, but it felt like he didn't want to see me. Was I that ugly? My eyes welled up with tears._

_"Don't you like me?" I asked in a broken voice, tears spilling over. Dimitri spun around, shocked._

_"Of course I like you, Rose! What would make you think otherwise?" he asked, perplexed. _

_"You never look at me, you never touched me in any way but friendly, and you haven't even hinted at asking me out!" I choked out._

_Dimitri looked, if possible, more confounded. "I thought you wanted space! I figured you wouldn't want me touching you like that! I didn't think you wanted anything more than friendship after everything you went through!" he cried out, coming closer and wrapping his arms around me. _

_"Well, I didn't want to like have sex or anything, but you never so much as kissed me! I just wanted to feel loved, that's all! Am I that ugly that you don't want to even look at me?" I sobbed out._

_"Oh, Roza, no, no, no! Of course you're not ugly! You're beautiful, so beautiful it hurts me sometimes. I just didn't want to push you, that's all," he explained in a calm voice, rubbing my back gently. _

_"Really?" I sniffled in a small voice._

_Dimitri nodded, ever serious. "Of course. If you want us to be in a relationship, then we will be. If you're sure, of course?" He looked at me questioningly._

_I thought about it for a few minutes. Was I ready to be in a relationship? "But I'm damaged. Why would you want me?" I asked in a small voice, looking up at him through my eyelashes. _

_Dimitri's face softened. "You're not...okay, you've been hurt, but I want to fix that hurt. If you'll let me..." he trailed off, going back to his original question._

_"If you're sure you want me, then yes, I want to be with you too," I said, feeling happier._

_Dimitri grinned. "Then it's settled. We'll go on our first date...soon. I'll have to plan it all out to make it perfect..." He let me go, muttering to himself underneath his breath._

_"You can get out now," I said jokingly._

_"Hmm?" He looked up confused. I gestured to my clothing. "Oh, right. Call me in when you're decent." He walked out, muttering again. _

Dimitri had asked me out yesterday, and I was now getting ready in Mia's room while he got ready in ours.

Mia and Mason had gone out earlier, to make it seem more like a date, but I thought that secretly, they were also going on a date.

I walked out of the room, dressed in a soft red tank top with a neckline that stopped just below my collar bones, and a black skirt that went down to my knees. I never wanted to wear revealing clothes again. On my feet were simple ballet flats.

Dimitri came out at the same time wearing a fitted green t-shirt and board shorts, sneakers on his feet. I couldn't help but laugh at how slightly ridiculous he looked.

He shrugged. "Hey, I gotta keep cool and be able to save you," he said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes. "Shall we go?" I asked, holding out my arm.

He grinned. "We shall," he replied, tucking my hand into the crook of his elbow.

Dimitri took us to a restaurant in Honolulu. There, we ate out in the open, with an ocean view. We talked and laughed during dinner, mostly about him. He told me about his family, and how crazy it could get living with three sisters, a mom, and two babies.

"I haven't seen them since last Christmas; things were busy. I'm hoping to visit them once this is all over," he said, then looked at me shyly. "Would you like to meet them? I'm sure they'd love you."

I looked at him wide-eyes. "You want me to meet your family? Really? But..." I hesitated.

Dimitri shook his head, knowing where my thoughts were taking me. "They'll understand that it wasn't your choice, and they won't hold it against you. My dad least of all."

"Your dad..." I said thoughtfully. "How is he? You don't seem to talk about him too much."

Dimitri shrugged. "For the most part, he simply works. Sure, he's with the family and all, but he's working and keeping us safe most of the time. For a dad he's pretty awesome. Not many fathers will teach their kids how to hack into a computer system, then when you finally reach what you've been trying to, it turns out to be a big birthday surprise, dinner and all, at your favorite place, not to mention a bunch of presents. That was my 12th birthday, if you're wondering. Every time one of us reached our twelfth birthday, he did the same thing. Taught us to hack the system he created, and the reward was our gifts. The younger kids didn't know of it until they reached 12; the older siblings knew how to keep a secret." Dimitri chuckled. "In fact, that was one of the best taunts. 'You're not 12 yet!' was very commonly heard around the house, whenever someone was mad."

I looked at him with shining eyes. Seeing him so happy as he relived his childhood memories made me happy. "For my 12th birthday, my mom and my friends threw me a surprise birthday party. Like they did every year. So, needless to say it wasn't much of a surprise." I smiled fondly, remembering my mom and my friends. Especially my best friend, whom I have mostly forgotten. I knew she was blonde. And tall. And had a brother. But that's all. I sighed.

"Are you done?" Dimitri asked, looking at my mostly empty plate. I nodded. "Then let's get ice cream." He paid the bill, then we got ice cream.

As we ate it, we walked around. holding hands. We stopped on a bridge.

"It's so beautiful," I whispered, staring out into the ocean where the sun was now setting.

"Not as beautiful as you," Dimitri quipped. I could tell by the amusement in his voice that he knew what a cliche line that was, so I rolled my eyes.

He let go of my hand, and put his arm around me instead. "It is beautiful, but you are much more gorgeous than any ocean view," he murmured, turning so he was now facing me. I mirrored his actions.

He put one hand on my cheek, and the other buried itself in my hair. Hesitantly, he leaned down, giving me the chance to lean away. I didn't; instead, I leaned closer to him until our lips touched. It wasn't like our previous kisses; not that those weren't good, but this one was sweet, unhurried. It held a promise of more kisses to come. It promise this wasn't the end, this was the beginning of us. I never wanted the kiss to end, but breathing purposes made us part.

"Wow," I breathed. "Anyone ever tell you you're a good kisser?" I smiled crookedly.

"As long as you think so, others' opinion doesn't matter." He grinned right back.

Taking my hand once more, we made our way back to our house.

* * *

><p>After our date, Dimitri and I became closer than ever. He would frequently steal kisses now, and I would do the same.<p>

"You guys are disgusting, you know that?" Mia told me at one point. The guys went to the store, and Mia and I decided to stay here. "I mean, it's like you're newlyweds, or something. You're so sweet I feel sick, like I ate too much candy when I'm around you."

"You're just jealous cause Mason hasn't asked you out," I teased.

Mia rolled her eyes. "On the contrary, he has, and I said yes, and we have already went. It was amazing. But you don't see us being cuter than a couple of kitty cats," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever. I really, really like him. A lot. Do you think we'll get married?" I asked dreamily.

"Rose..." Mia said softly. I looked at her; a pained expression had made itself at home on her face.

"What?" I asked, pretending to be oblivious.

"You know that-" she broke off as the sound of the guys coming home floated to the living room where we were sitting.

I walked out, trying not to think of Mia didn't say. I sighed. I knew I had to tell him, but how? I took several deep breaths. He needed to know before things get too serious.

"Dimitri?" I asked, looking up finally. "Can I talk to you?" I knew I had interrupted whatever conversation the two of them were having, but I needed to talk to him. Now. Before I lose my nerve.

"Sure," he said, frowning in puzzlement.

I turned and walked to our room, Dimitri following. Once there, I waved him in, then closed the door firmly.

"What's wrong, Roza?" he asked, concerned now.

"I - I have to tell you something," I whispered, looking down.

"What?"

"I- have you ever wanted children?" I asked instead, looking up at him.

"I - well, sure, when I found the right woman and married her." He smiled at me, letting me know he was talking about me.

I bit my lip to keep from crying. "We can't have kids." I blurted suddenly.

He looked at me, confused. "What do you mean? Well, we can't have kids right now, of course. But do you mean we shouldn't because of this world?" He looked slightly hurt.

I shook my head slightly. "No - I will never have kids. I can't. I...Victor had my tubes tied after the third pregnancy." I could not longer control my tears. They spilled over like a waterfall, nothing to stop them. I crumbled onto the ground, my legs unable to hold me any longer.

"Third...? Oh, God, Roza," he whispered, crouching down next to me. He pulled me into his arms, letting me cry it all out. He began murmuring to me in Russian, trying to calm me down. After several minutes, I finally stopped crying.

"Roza," Dimitri murmured into my ear. "It doesn't matter to me that you can't have kids. I'll still be with you. No matter what. If you'll have me. And if not...well,it's your choice. But either way, I hope your dreams stay big, and your worries small. I'll make sure you never have to carry more than you can hold. I hope you know somebody loves you, wherever you go. Even when I'm not with you. I'll go with you to the ends of the Earth if you want me to. I'll always keep you safe, no matter what. I - I love you, Roza. Your past doesn't matter to me. Only you do." He kissed me on the top of my head.

I couldn't believe it. He actually said he loved me. I looked up at him. "I love you too. I never want you to leave me. Ever."

He kissed me sweetly on my lips. "It really doesn't matter to me if we can have kids. We can adopt. There are alternatives. This won't stop us. It's just a bump in the road."

I sniffled. "If you're sure..."

"I'm positive." He kissed me on last time on the forehead, then helped me stand up. "Dinner?"

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, things began to get better. They weren't perfect; Mia and I were still prone to our moments of depression, but with Mason and Dimitri helping us, things started to smooth out. I knew Dimitri and I would have to talk more about my inability to have children, and I could see at times he really wanted to ask what happened and why, but he didn't say anything. He was probably avoiding another break down, so I put it to the back of my mind. I was still worried about my dad. Was he okay? Was he even alive? Was he dead? Lying in a gutter somewhere? Hiding out? Dimitri assured me everything was fine, and that things like this took awhile to figure out. I was still doubtful; in my corner of the underworld, things worked very swiftly. I trusted Dimitri, though, and I knew he would tell me if Abe was in trouble.<p>

My belief in Dimitri came to fruition about five days later.

We had all just gotten back from going to the beach. Neither Mia nor I were comfortable with revealing our bodies, so we both wore one-piece swimsuits with little skirts around the thighs. Mason had joked and said it made us look like old ladies, but if it caused men to look away with disinterest, we'd be happy to wear it.

We were unpacking our beach bags when there was a knock on the door. Everyone froze; as far as we knew, no one knew us here. So who would be knocking?

"Maybe it's a neighbor, needing to borrow something," Mia suggested, ever the optimist.

Dimitri nodded, then shared a look with Mason. "Go to the bedroom," he murmured to me, gently pushing me toward the hallway. I grabbed Mia's arm, and together we silently snuck down the hall to my room.

I heard the door opened, and voices in the kitchen.

"False alarm!" Mason called back. "It's just Abe."

He said it so casually, at first all that registered was the fact that it was safe. I breathed a sigh of relief, and went back to the kitchen.

As soon as I reached it, the other part of Mason's sentence hit. _It's just Abe._ Just?!

"Baba!" I cried out, throwing myself into his arms. "You're okay! What happened? What's going on? You alive!" I was almost crying with happiness and relief.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, deep breathes kiz, deep breathes," Abe said, laughing. I could tell that he was just as relieved to see me as I was to see him.

I finally let go of Abe. "So? What's going on?"

"Well..." He hesitated. "It was ruled revenge. I'd try to take down the whole operation, but it would take a long time, and I know it would just start up again. The best I can, the best I have done, is thwart the getting of girls. At the moment...well, to the best of my knowledge, the only way they'll be getting girls is by volunteers." He smiled an evil smile. "There will be no more kidnapping on my watch. We'll stay here for a few more weeks, let the worse of the storm blow over. We can see your mom once I'm sure everything is safe. Then...well, we'll decided that then. Oh, and there's someone who wants to see you." He gestured behind.

For the first time, I focused on the other person. At first, I didn't recognize her.

"Rose?" She said hesitantly.

I stared at her blankly. Something was itching in the back of my mind. Something familiar, something...Recognition hit me like a ton of bricks. I froze in shock.

There, standing tall with her blonde hair and emerald green eyes was Lissa Dragomir - my once best friend.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Well...here it is. I am so sorry for the long wait. I got grounded from my computer._**

**_Now...for the sequel. There are three options:_**

**_1) Simply an epilogue. I'll just write one more chapter for the story, an epilogue. And that will be that. It'll be a long chapter, but it will be just one._**

**_2) A two/three chapter sequel. I'll write a two to three chapter sequel, but that will be all._**

**_3) A multiple chapter sequel. I will write a full sequel with at least ten chapters._**

**_Those are the options. Please vote on my profile. Readers with no profile, please vote through a review. Thank you!_**


	38. Sequel!

Disclaimer: I do not own VA.

RPOV:

I stared across the table at my former best friend. She had changed a lot in the last six years. Now more than ever she looked like an angel. Beautiful, pure, the exact opposite of me.

We hadn't yet spoken since she came here. After I realised who it was, I had turned around and walked calmly to my room, Dimitri hot on my heels, where I broke down.

Now, it was after dinner and Lissa had requested to talk to me. Why would she want to talk to me?

"Rose," Lissa began, her voice soft. We were in my room, everyone else had respectively left us for privacy.

I flinched involuntarily. "Lissa," I said, my voice hoarse. I cleared my throat. "What are you doing here?"

"Your dad told me that he found you. Rose, my dad, my mom, my brother, we were all so distraught when you were kidnapped. Andre was beside himself; he feels like it's his fault that it happened. And the sad part is, no one can deny because you aren't there to do it. I mean, weren't. In a way, we all think it's his fault. Is it? I mean, you don't have to answer that right now. I mean, I would like you to, but..."

Lissa continued rambling on nervously while all I could do was stare. Why was she even talking to me?

"Lissa," I interrupted her. "What are you doing _here?"_

Lissa looked hurt. "Can't I see my best friend?"

I shook my head slowly. "I'm not the Rose you used to know." With that, I stood up and walked out.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm back, my lovelies! xD So, yeah, really short chapter, I know, but keep in mind that My Wish was drabble-ish, k? I'll update as often as possible, so sometimes you might get two updates a day, sometimes only one. So, this is going to be a bit shortish, the story I mean. THere won't be any outside conflicts, as far as I know, it'll be just Rose trying to come to terms with her life and what happened and move on. Anyway, review, let me know what you think(:


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